Maintain The Pain
by prsweetie
Summary: They have survived loss, heartache and second chances. Now they are faced with kidnapping, Belfast, secrets, lies and prison sentences, will they be able to make it? Sequel to Nobody's Fool
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Here we go. The sequel to Nobody's Fool. I have some great ideas for this story and am excited to start. If anyone hasn't read Nobody's Fool, it would probably be a good idea so that you can be familiar with my OC._

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><p>Happy stood in the doorway as he watched Marissa. She was standing by the kitchen sink with a coffee mug in one hand and a cigarette in another as she stared out the window. He wanted to go to her and hug her but he wasn't sure how she would react. It had been a rough couple of days and Marissa seemed to close herself off again. It was getting to be a real pain in the ass. He took in her appearance. She had on a knee-length black skirt, black long sleeve sweater and black sky high heels. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a low bun and she only had a trace of makeup on. The only light seemed to come from the compass necklace around her throat that he had given her last Christmas.<p>

"Talk to me." Happy begged. Marissa turned her eyes towards Happy before glancing back out the window.

"About?"

"How you're feeling." Happy learned that he could let his guard down around Marissa making the lines of communication better for the pair. Happy let Marissa into places that no one had been before. Unfortunatly, they were both stubborn as hell and when one had their guard up, it was like pulling teeth to get the person to open up. Marissa fully turned around and leaned against the sink as she looked at her boyfriend.

"I don't mind the drama, I don't even mind the danger. I just…is there ever a fucking break? You know what I want? I want to lock those doors and stay in this bubble where it's just me and you and nothing can touch us, but our lives don't work that way. When was the last time that you and I have been able to sit on the couch and watch a movie without the fucking sky falling?" Happy crossed his arms but remained silent. He knew that she needed to get this off her chest.

A few days ago, shit hit the fan. Gemma had ran after the girl who had knocked her out the night she was raped. No one knew the specific details but now Gemma was on the lam. While she was driving out of town, Cameron Hayes had went into Jax and Tara's house, killed Kip and stole Abel. Cameron blamed Gemma for his son's death and decided to take a son for a son. Everyone had been devastated, especially Jax and Tara. Marissa had taken it upon herself to plan Kip's funeral since no one else seemed to be able to.

As Marissa was getting dressed this morning, she glanced in the mirror and started to see a very keen resemblance to the mafia princess that she was seven years prior. The mob wasn't very different from the lifestyle that she was in now. The difference was her. Charming had softened her. This town offered her friends, family and a new chance at true love. All of those things made her let her guard down more, smile more, laugh often. Now she was back to being the stoic Marissa from all those years prior, if for no other reason than survival.

"I have been in this town for one year. One fucking year. In that time, Gemma was raped, you were shot, Juice was stabbed, Chibs almost blew the hell up, you left me, my ex's dad came looking for me AND I lost a baby. I can't wait to see what this fucking year will bring." Marissa turned back towards the sink and laid her coffee mug down.

"Gemma is off some god damn where with every police station looking for her. Abel has been kidnapped, Tara is blaming herself and Jax is a fucking walking disaster."

"Can I make it better?" Happy asked. Marissa walked towards him with a soft smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he gripped her tightly.

"Just hold me." Happy obliged to her request as they stood there in the kitchen doorframe. When she pulled away, she cleared her throat.

"I'm going to head over to Tara's. I'll meet you at the funeral home."

"Do you think it's a good idea to go over there? Jax is really in a bad state."

"I don't give a damn. The rest of you can try to handle him with kid gloves, but I'm going to go make some progress." Marissa kissed Happy one more time before walking out the front door.

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><p>Marissa smiled at everyone sitting in Jax and Tara's living room. She knew that Tara had left earlier to go to the funeral home. She told Marissa that she needed to clear her head a bit so she was going to take care of the final arrangements.<p>

"Where is he?" Marissa asked.

"Abel's room." Clay responded. "I wouldn't go in there baby girl." Marissa just waved off his concerns as she walked towards Abel's room. She shut the door behind her and took in Jax. He was cradeling a bottle in his hand and his eyes seemed dead.

"Get up." Jax looked up towards Marissa but made no attempt to move. "I said get up. Kip's funeral starts in three hours and by the smell of things, you need to spend at least two in the fucking shower."

"Marissa, go away." Jax said quietly. Marissa simply shook her head. When Jax noticed that Marissa had no intention on leaving, he started to get pissed off.

"I SAID GET OUT! MY SON IS GONE! MY FUCKING SON IS GONE!" Marissa dropped her purse to the floor as she prepared for a battle.

"I UNDERSTAND THAT BUT YOU WON'T FIND HIM AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FUCKING BOTTLE!" Marissa roared causing Jax to flinch.

"Marissa, look…"

"No, you look. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. The pain and heartache that you must be feeling is unimaginable and I'm not trying to diminish that. But there was a 24 year old fucking kid who lost his life trying to save the woman you love and your child. The least you can do is get the fuck up and go pay your damn respects. Kip is dead, Jax. A kid lost his fucking life and you are sitting in a room feeling sorry for yourself." Marissa stepped closer to Jax. "Now I'm going to ask you again. Please go jump in the shower, shave that shit off your face and get dressed before I start to get pissed off."

Marissa and Jax stared each other down for a few minutes. Once Jax realized that Marissa had no intention of leaving the room until she gets what she wants, he gingerly stood up and headed towards the bathroom.

An hour later, Marissa knocked twice on the bedroom door and waited for Jax to tell her to come in. She stepped in the room and looked at her friend.

"Nice to see you looking normal again." Jax glared slightly as he pulled the white tee shirt over his head.

"Anyone ever tell you that you are a pain in the ass?"

"At least once a day." Marissa sat down on the bed and patted a spot next to her. "We need to talk." She waited until Jax sat down before she started.

"You need to get your shit together." She held up her hand when Jax got ready to protest. "Everyone is worried about you and they don't know how to handle this. They look to you for leadership and you are mentally gone."

"I don't know what to do Marissa." Jax finally admitted as he placed his head in his hands. Marissa rubbed circles on his back.

"We got to go and bury one of our own and then you start taking the necessary steps to getting your son back. If you give up on Abel, everyone else will do the same. They are just going to follow your lead." She pulled Jax in a hug when he started to cry.

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><p>Marissa stood outside the funeral home as she waited for Tara. She spotted the Cutlass pulling into the lot and she rushed to meet her best friend. When she saw the broken look on her face, Marissa quickly pulled her into a hug.<p>

"He wants me gone." Tara cried into Marissa's shoulder. "He said that I need to get far away from him."

"He's in shock and he's grieving, Tara." Marissa pulled her face back and forced Tara to look at her. "Fight for him, Tara. No matter how hard he tries to push you away, you stand your ground and you fight. Abel is just as much your son as Jax's and you need to remind him that." Tara nodded her head as Marissa saw Clay signaling her to come over. She passed Tara over to Lyla and she made her way to Clay.

"What's up?"

"Tiggy called. He took Gem up to go see her dad. Turns out her ma passed away or some shit."

"Is it safe for her to be up there?" Marissa asked.

"Location wise, it couldn't be better. Her dad lives out in the fucking woods. Mentally…I don't know how she's going to handle shit. That house holds a lot of bad memories for her." Clay placed a piece of paper in Marissa's hand. "This is the address. Maybe you and Tara can go up there and check on her. But under no circumstances can you tell her about Abel. It will break her heart."

"How the hell can you expect us to keep this from her?" Clay looked down at the younger woman.

"You seem to be really good at keeping secrets, one more ain't gonna hurt you." Clay walked away leaving Marissa fuming.

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><p>It was well after midnight before Marissa was able to walk into her home. The funeral had been beautiful. Her eyes watered when the full patched cut was placed on Kip's coffin. The boys shared some beautiful sentiments and she was fortunate enough to meet Kip's parents and little sister. Her heart ached for their loss. Their son had survived a war overseas just to die on a kitchen floor because he loved bikes and brotherhood.<p>

They had all started to walk outside the funeral home when two vans pulled up. Marissa had been standing next to Bobby and he quickly pushed her to the pavement when shots fired. Marissa watched in horror as David Hale was killed. However, that was nothing compared to the horrific beating that Jax delivered to the driver of one of the vans. He was completely out of it as he delivered blow after blow until he was finally pulled off by his brothers. Happy simply looked at her before getting on his bike, presumably heading towards the clubhouse with the others.

Marissa had made sure Tara got home safely and gave her two sedatives that she still had from her stint in the hospital. She stayed with Tara until she fell asleep on the couch. She placed a blanket over her friend and kissed her cheek before driving home.

She turned on the shower and slowly started to undress. She noticed that she had marks on her hands and knees from being pushed to the pavement. She let the water wash away her pain as she kept a listen out for her phone. Wrapped in nothing but a towel, she made her way to the bedroom. She sat down gingerly on the bed and swallowed back a yawn. She hadn't realized just how exhausted she truly was until she found herself surrounded by silence. Before she realized it, she had fallen asleep in just her towel. She also had a sinking feeling that this would be the first of many nights she would be going to sleep without Happy by her side.


	2. Chapter 2

The blaring of her cell phone woke Marissa from her deep sleep. She could tell by the ring tone who it was, so she didn't even open up her eyes when she hit the talk button.

"Happy, I can't take anymore bad news." Marissa noticed that she was still in her towel and when she opened up one eye, she saw that it was after four in the morning.

"Come out into the living room." Marissa looked at the phone as Happy hung up on her. She groaned as she tried to fight off sleep as she stumbled around the bedroom looking for clothes. The last thing she needed was to walk out in the living room with no clothes on to be greeted with an entire motorcycle club. She pulled on one of Hap's long sleeve SAMCRO shirts that reached her knees and a pair of lacy boy shorts. She grabbed a hair tie as she tried to find her way out of the bedroom. When she walked into the living room, she was suddenly very awake.

"What the hell?" Marissa questioned as she looked around. Happy was standing in the middle of the room and there were snacks, movies and beer on the coffee table.

"All of the shades are closed and all of the doors are locked. Right now, it's just me and you in our bubble. So pick a movie." Marissa was flabbergasted.

"Hap, it's four in the morning. You haven't slept in forever. Don't you wanna catch some sleep before the next crisis hits?" Happy walked over to Marissa and pulled her towards the couch.

"What I wanna do is watch a movie with my old lady while we have the time and no interruptions. Whatever is outside that door can wait a few hours. Now pick a movie before I put in Pulp Fiction." Marissa smiled brightly. Happy may not be the most traditionally romantic guy in the world, but the gestures that he offered Marissa made her feel like the luckiest girl in the world. She pointed towards Iron Man 2 and watched with fascination as Hap put in the movie before grabbing a blanket and two beers from the table. He placed the blanket over Marissa as she leaned into him and started the movie.

She enjoyed the feeling of his calloused hands playing in her hair as the pair watched the television screen. She placed the half-empty beer on a coaster and got more comfortable in his side. Halfway through the movie, her hand made its way to his toned abs as she drummed her fingernails against them. She looked up as he pulled a strand of hair and gave him an innocent smile.

"Marissa, watch the movie." He tried to be stern but he knew that look in her eyes. She pushed the blanket off her as she straddled his hips. She gently kissed down his neck as Hap tried to concentrate on the screen.

"I like this view better." Marissa stated as she placed a deep kiss to Happy's full lips. It didn't take long for him to reciprocate. When he pulled away, he moved a strand of her hair from her eyes.

"I'm trying to be a good old man by giving my girl what she wants."

"Your girl is very thankful that you gave her this and now she wants to show her gratitude." She stood up and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the bedroom. For the next few hours, they allowed for nothing to matter but the two of them.

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><p>Waking up after a bit of a cat nap, Marissa was ecstatic to feel Happy's arms around her waist. She glanced up at the clock and realized it was eleven in the morning but she never felt more rested. She placed a soft kiss to his bare chest before softly getting out of the bed. She pulled his shirt back on as she headed towards the kitchen. She was halfway through making her blueberry pancake batter when her cell phone rang.<p>

"Hello?"

"Hey Hurricane." Marissa smiled softly. "How's everything going?"

"How much have you heard?"

"Damn near nothing." Marissa sighed as she caught Tig up to date on the events that occurred at Kip's funeral. She heard him curse loudly.

"I should be there."

"How's she doing?" Marissa asked as she pulled out a pan.

"I don't know, man. Her dad's literally lost his fucking mind so he goes in and out of it. Shit is weighing real heavy on Gemma right now."

"Clay doesn't want anyone telling her about Abel."

"That's best for now."

"Says you." Marissa quipped as she went to the fridge to grab some bacon.

"You don't agree?"

"Something happen to one of your kids and no one tell you. How the hell would you handle it?"

"She will jump through hoops to get back to Charming and we can't afford that." Knowing that Tig was right but still not happy, Marissa simply agreed. She told Tig that she and Tara would be up soon to check on things and she made him promise to call soon. She hung up the phone and continued her breakfast making when she heard the doorbell ring. She couldn't help but to roll her eyes. Thank God the couple got those few hours together cause it looked like the bubble had burst. She opened the door and allowed Juice, Opie and Chibs to come in.

"Breakfast is almost done if you boys are hungry." They all asked for food so Marissa started a pot of coffee before going back towards the bedroom. Happy was still sleep with a peaceful look on his face. Marissa wished he could look like that always. She walked towards the bed and leaned down to kiss him. After a few moments, he finally started to respond.

"Mornin''

"Good morning to you. Get up. You got company in the kitchen and breakfast will be done soon." She walked to the drawer and pulled out a pair of sweat pants and swatted his bare ass when he walked past her. She smiled as he turned to glare at her playfully.

Walking back into the kitchen, she told the guys that Hap would be in shortly. She started making pancakes and have general conversations with everyone. When Happy walked in and took a seat, she fixed him a plate and a cup of coffee. She kissed the top of his bald head before excusing herself to jump in the shower. She knew that there was some sort of conversation that needed to be had and she didn't want to be in the way.

She was pulling on her jeans when Happy walked in the bedroom. He moved quickly and grabbed a fistful of hair before kissing her with all the passion he could muster. Marissa literally felt her knees get weak. When he pulled away, she had trouble steadying herself.

"What's up?"

"We got news on the assholes that shot up Kip's funeral last night. We think it might be a Mayan patch-over."

"In Charming?"

"Probably Lodi. We are going to go see their President."

"Should you guys be doing this with Abel missing?" Happy grabbed his cut and placed it over his shoulders.

"Jax asked Bobby to get in touch with his ex-wife's new man. Apparently he's a bounty hunter. We are going to see if he can get any surveillance on Hayes. You got plans for today?"

"I think Tara and I are going to drive up to check on Gemma." Happy nodded as he placed another kiss on Marissa's lips.

"Good. I don't like the idea of you being here by yourself. I don't know if it's going to be a late one or not. I'll try to call if I can." Happy walked out the door and Marissa sighed.

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><p>"What's up bro?" Happy asked as he took a seat next to Jax and lit up a cigarette. The VP was in kill mode, and Happy knew that feeling all too well. Them having old ladies that were "sisters" had certainly given the two men a stronger bond then before. Besides Tig, Happy knew that Jax would protect Marissa like she was his little sister.<p>

"Just want to get this bounty shit over with to see if this guy can find anything on Hayes. I need to get my son back, Hap." The two men sat in silence before Jax spoke again.

"How's Marissa holding up?" Happy snorted.

"You know that girl is tough as nails. She's keeping busy, trying to distract herself. She said she was going to drive up and check on your Ma today. How's Tara?" Jax looked away before answering.

"A while ago, I found this manuscript. It was written by my Dad and it had all this shit in it. He said when it came to Old Ladies, you either tell them everything or you tell them nothing. What side of the fence is Marissa on?" Happy threw his cigarette butt to the ground.

"I tell her everything. I never saw myself having an Old Lady but she's mine and sometimes I wonder how the hell I got so lucky. She made it known from the beginning that she wasn't going to accept half of me, so I owe her the truth. Besides, after all the shit Marissa has gone through, I trust her with my life and I trust her with the secrets. Hell, sometimes she has a better handling on shit than I do." Happy smirked. "You having second thoughts about Tara or something?"

"She was always too good for this life, man. Too smart, too trusting. I don't know. When she came back to Charming and saved Abel's life, I thought that this may be our chance. She seemed a little stronger, a little tougher around the edges…" Jax trailed off.

"But?" Happy asked.

"But she sat there and watched as a man took our…my son from our kitchen. She just froze and I can't look at her without wanting to smack the shit out of her."

"So you blame her?" Jax shook his head.

"I blame myself." Happy looked on with confusion. "I thought if Tara spent enough time with Marissa and Gemma, that they would rub off on her, make it easier for her to accept this lifestyle. I can't stop thinking that if Gemma was in that kitchen; she would have laid down her life before she allowed anyone to walk out with Abel."

"You can't compare. All women, no matter how tough they appear, have fears. When I found out Marissa had been pregnant when that asshole beat on her, I was pissed at her. How could she be so careless to allow herself to be in a situation that ultimately killed our baby? But it wasn't her fault; she was scared, just like Tara must have been scared in that kitchen watching Sack die. Tara's a good girl, smart as a whip, great friend, loyal and makes a damn good old lady for you. Don't fuck it up." Jax took in Happy's advice for a few minutes.

"I should have listened to my father. I didn't hide everything from Tara but I didn't tell her everything either. She has always been in limbo. I don't know. I thought if I didn't tell her anything, she would end up like Donna and if I told her everything, she would end like my Ma."

"Being Gemma is the worst thing in the world? Especially if she is going to be the next Queen one day?" Happy put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't go doing nothing stupid cause you think it's in her best interest. Don't walk away from the woman that holds your heart. I can tell you from experience; that shit never ends well." Happy got up to let Jax think…and to take a moment to call his girl.

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><p>Marissa was mumbling to herself in Spanish while driving down a deserted highway when her cell phone rang. She smiled softly as she fumbled to answer.<p>

"Miss me already?" She asked with a giggle in her voice.

"Where are you?" Happy asked. He could hear her turning down her music before responding.

"In the middle of fucking nowhere." Marissa sounded agitated. "I take back every joke I made about Charming being like Mayberry. I am literally smack dab in a scene from a scary movie. All there is are miles and miles of woods. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a machete carrying psycho lurking in the trees praying that I come outside at night so he can slaughter me and then hang from a tree. Don't laugh Hap, this shit is not funny." Happy tried to cover his laugh with a cough.

"Tara with you?"

"No. Apparently, she had a bit of breakdown at the hospital yesterday while operating on a newborn. She had a meeting with some suits to discuss her conduct or some shit. Plus I think she's scared she may accidently blurt out that Abel is missing considering her frame of mind."

"You think it's a good idea for her to be by herself?"

"I have Lyla watching after her. I gotta check on Gem. If no one comes to see her, she will think that something is wrong and move heaven and hell to get back to Charming."

"Good point." Happy looked up as he heard Clay call his name. He nodded at the President. "Alright reina, I gotta go."

"Hold up. Reina? Did you just call me queen in Spanish?" Marissa asked.

"Gemma may be the Queen of Charming but you're MY queen, so the name fits." Marissa laughed loudly.

"Remind me to call your mom and tell her no more Spanish lessons for you. Alright mi amor, be safe and call if you get a chance." Marissa hung up the phone as she drove down a long cobblestone driveway. She pulled up in front of a log cabin and sighed when she turned the ignition off.

As she walked up the steps of the cabin, Marissa couldn't stop herself from playing the theme to "Psycho" in her head.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Watching this week's episode has given me a brilliant idea. For those who have not seen it yet, I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I see this story being an intense showdown between the three strong women in my stories. This chapter starts to show how each woman handle a crisis; very differently which will set the stage for other things to come. I see this story being a bit longer than Nobody's Fool but I really hope you all stay with me. I am on bed rest for the next week and hope to spend most of the time working on this story and getting some much needed rest. Thanks all._

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><p>Marissa knocked twice on the door and waited for someone to answer. When the door was pulled open, Gemma was standing in front of her, looking less like a murderous fugitive and more like the queen she was. Gemma hugged Marissa tightly before ushering her in the home.<p>

"I thought Tara was coming with you."

"Work stuff." Gemma placed her hands on her hip.

"Shit." Marissa raised an eyebrow at Gemma's reaction. "Tig got shot."

"Shot? How the hell did that happen?" Marissa exclaimed. This place hardly seemed like a danger zone unless you were a sex-crazed teenager working at Camp Crystal Lake in a Jason movie. Gemma rubbed her forehead.

"If there is pussy, Tig will cum….literally. He was banging Dad's home nurse and Dad thought it was my Ma….so he shot Tig in the shoulder." Marissa tried, she really did. But the harder she tried, the more she failed. Before she knew it, she was crouched down on the floor with tears running down her face as she laughed hysterically. Leave it to Tig to almost die while waist deep in pussy. The mental image alone would have Marissa laughing for days. She finally composed herself enough to stand back up.

"Oh God, I needed that laugh. Well, if it's a clean shot, I may be able to help. I have a couple of pain killers in my purse. It should hold him over until Tara gets here." Gemma nodded and hugged Marissa again.

"I'm real glad you're here baby girl. I'll go make us some coffee while you check up on Tigger. He's in the back room on your left." Marissa followed the directions and knocked twice before opening the door. She leaned against the doorframe with a smug look on her face. Tig raised a finger and pointed it at her.

"Don't start." Marissa smiled big as she walked closer to inspect his shoulder.

"You do realize that I have about a million jokes running in my head right now, right? And most of them have to do with the beautiful silk, pink robe that you are wearing?" Marissa ran a finger over the robe and chuckled. She got a better look at the wound and realized that it had been a clean shot. She pulled out her cell phone and hit speed dial.

"Hello?"

"Hey chica. Did you have your meeting yet?" Marissa asked Tara.

"No. In another hour or so. What's up?"

"I need you to walk me through removing a bullet with limited supplies." Marissa heard a pause.

"Do I even want to know?"

"I'll tell you when you get here. Trust me; it will have you laughing for days." Marissa placed the cell on speakerphone and listened carefully as Tara instructed her on what to do. About a half an hour later, Marissa thanked Tara and told her to get to the cabin soon. She handed Tig two Tylenol 3's and watched as he swallowed them dry.

"So any news?" Tig asked as he tried to get comfortable on the bed.

"They think the shooters were some Mayan patch-over shit and they were waiting for some word on Abel the last time I checked. Everyone is hoping that he is still somewhat local."

"How's Jax holding up?"

"The man has murder in his veins. He is ready to strike but I just hope that he can try and remain level headed." Marissa played with the comforter before looking at Tig. "We need to tell Gemma the truth."

"We can't do that, Hurricane." Marissa rolled her eyes.

"I hate to play devil's advocate but just hear me out. What if we can't find Abel in time or god forbid, what if he's hurt? Then we will have no choice but to tell Gemma and in giving her possibly the worst news of her life, she was also have to deal with the fact that EVERYONE knew what was going on but her. Whether or not the reasons were justified, she is going to look at it as a betrayal and we will just be destruction in her path."

"Dramatic much?"

"Tell me I'm lying." Marissa challenged. Tig wanted to counter with an argument but he knew it was pointless.

"Just give it some time, see what the guys can come up with. No sense in making SAMCRO look for Abel while trying to keep an eye on Hurricane Gemma." Tig yawned and grabbed Marissa's hand. They continued to make small talk until Tig fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"So is he going to live?" Gemma asked as Marissa poured herself a cup of coffee before joining the older woman at the kitchen table.<p>

"For now. Besides, I think a sexual transmitted disease will kill Tigger before any bullet gets a chance to." The pair smiled at each other and sipped from their mugs.

"How's your Dad?" Gemma shrugged.

"He's getting worse and worse. There are moments where he looks at me and I know that he knows I am his daughter that he is talking to and other times…."

"He thinks Tig is banging your mom and pops a cap in him?" Marissa offered.

"Yeah." Gemma trailed off as she tried to gather her words. "I think I'm going to have to put him in a home. If Rose isn't here, I can't see him being able to handle being here all by himself and there is no way I can take him back to Charming." Marissa looked around the room.

"Where is the nurse? Was she freaked out by the bullet and left or something?" Marisa looked at Gemma who had the nerve to try and look sheepish. "Jesus Christ, Gemma, what did you do?"

"Nothing." Marissa shot her a look. "Nothing." Gemma stood up quickly and went to pour herself another cup of coffee. "I caught the bitch doing some research on me. Apparently there is a nice cash reward for anyone that has info to my whereabouts. She pulled a gun on me, but she obviously was not experienced with it cause I was able to grab the gun and pull mine out." Marissa rubbed her temples.

"Please don't tell me that you killed her and we have to go out and dig a grave." Gemma shook her head.

"I tied the bitch to a post downstairs in the basement. I didn't know what else to do." Marissa closed her eyes as she tried to process all the information. She went from one extreme to the next. Now instead of kidnapped babies and dead prospects, she had to deal with demented fathers, wounded sergeants and a tied up home nurse. Marissa could not decide which side of hell she wanted to be on right about now.

"What do you plan on doing with her, Gemma?"

"I have not gotten that far in my plans."

"Jesus Christ." The two women sat for what seemed like hours before they heard an incessant car honking. They each ran to the front door to see Tara's Cutlass slam on its brakes and Tara damn near rushed out the car.

"I just saw an old guy driving a truck as I was coming up. Was that your dad?" Gemma turned pale as she ran back in the house screaming her father's name. The commotion woke up Tig who stumbled out of the room still clad in his pink robe. Gemma ran back in the living room.

"He left and he took the rifle with him."

"Shit. Where could he have gone?" Gemma shook her head frantically.

"I…I don't know. I haven't been up here in so goddamn long, I wouldn't even know where to begin." The two women looked at each other as they both came to the same conclusion. Marissa turned towards Tara.

"Tar, can you look at Tig's wound to make sure I cleaned it properly? Gemma and I are going to search the property for any clues." Tara looked skeptical but nodded as she ushered Tig into the bedroom, who was still trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Marissa and Gemma made their way down the basement steps. Marissa's heels caught the young woman's attention whose eyes were blindfolded and her hands and legs were bound. Marissa shared a look with Gemma of disbelief.

"I hear someone. Please let me go." The young woman begged.

"What's your name?"

"Amelia." She answered while frowning. "You're not the daughter. Who are you? Please help me; she is going to kill me."

"If she was going to kill you, it would have already been done." Marissa walked a little closer but still kept a bit of distance between her and the woman. "Do you want to get out of her alive, Amelia?"

"Yes."

"Then I suggest you help us. Nate has disappeared. Now being as though you are his caretaker, I am sure you would know of some places he would venture out to; places that make him feel safe." Amelia remained quiet. "This is not the time to keep your mouth shut little girl. This is the time where you start talking."

"How do I know that you just won't kill me anyway?"

"You don't. You have to trust me that I will let you go but only after we find Nate." Gemma and Marissa both knew that there was no way there were going to allow the woman to walk out of here alive, there was too much at stake.

"I want to make a phone call." Marissa found herself getting agitated and her fuse was about to blow.

"Bitch, this isn't prison or a game. There is an old man wandering aimlessly somewhere who can barely decipher what decade it is. He could potentially harm himself or someone else and I can promise you that if something happens to him, you will die. So either you start talking or you die; it's your choice." Amelia began to cry.

"Roses. Nate likes to be around roses. Now PLEASE let me go." Amelia's cries got louder.

"What the hell is going on?" Both women turned around to see Tara standing at the bottom of the steps. Gemma turned towards Marissa.

"There are two places that are not far from here that have rose gardens." Marissa nodded her head.

"Okay. I'll take one and you take the other." Marissa grabbed Tara's arm and pulled her to the side. "Whatever you do, no matter how much she begs and pleads, do NOT let her out of those restraints. I will explain everything later, just please do this Tara." Tara nodded her head as Gemma and Marissa ran up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Less than 20 minutes later, Marissa walked back in the log cabin frustrated. She had not been able to find Nate and she was praying that Gemma was having better luck. She walked past the kitchen and was getting ready to open the basement door when she heard someone running up the steps. She pulled her knife out of her boot just as the door swung open and Amelia came into her view. <em>Damn you, Tara.<em> Marissa thought to herself. Marissa saw Amelia try to lunge for her and Marissa jammed the knife into the young woman's chest. She watched as the woman fell to the floor and sputter for a few moments before taking her last breath.

High on adrenaline, Marissa ran into Tig's room slamming the door open in the process. He jumped up at the noise. "Long story short, there is a dead chick in the kitchen. I need you to stay with her while I try to find Tara." Marissa ran over to the bed and help Tig get to the kitchen quickly as possible. Tig saw Amelia and went to ask a question but Marissa had already run downstairs. She made it to the bottom of the basement steps just as Tara was starting to come to. Marissa noticed the oxygen tank lying next to her best friend. She knelt down and looked for any blood.

"Are you alright?"

"That bitch knocked me out."

"I told you not to let her out of the restraints Tara. Jesus Christ." Marissa helped Tara up the steps and Tara turned pale when she saw the dead care taker still lying on the kitchen floor.

"What the hell happened?" Tara asked as she sat down while Marissa started searching for an ice pack.

"Self defense." Marissa answered unconvincingly. She was more than a little pissed off that Tara had let the woman go and she was trying to pat down her anger. She heard the tires of a car pull up and she went outside to see Gemma and Nate get out of the truck. She waited until they were close and Marissa whispered to Gemma to make sure Nate avoids the kitchen. Gemma took Nate to his bedroom and gave him his medication, allowing the older man to sleep instantly.

Gemma went back to the kitchen and saw Amelia dead on the floor. She looked over at Tig who was still in that god forsaken robe looking like he was trying to come up with a plan, Tara sat at the kitchen table with a ice pack to her head and Marissa was at the sink, cleaning her knife off with bleach. It didn't take long for Gemma to put the pieces together.

"So does anyone know what we are supposed to do with the body? I'm skillful in a lot of shit but grave digging has never been my specialty." Marissa quipped, suddenly exhausted now that her adrenaline was wearing off.

"I didn't do anything." Tara stated and Marissa found herself pissed the hell off. She turned from the sink as she glared at her best friend.

"You let her go after I specifically said not to. Do you think the bitch was tied up for the shits and giggles of it? She was going to turn Gemma in, cash in on some fucking reward and if that bitch would have escaped, she would have mentioned ALL of us. That includes the pretty little brunette who let her go. We are all accessories to this shit, so don't give me this 'I didn't do anything bullshit', Tara." Tig placed a hand on Marissa's shoulders.

"Okay, everyone calm down. I know a guy."

"What guy?" Gemma asked.

"There is a cleaner in Crescent City named Bachman. He can come in; fix the problem and no one will be the wiser."

"How much is he going to cost?" Tig shrugged. Marissa reached in her purse and pulled a wad of cash out from a side pocket.

"Here's five grand. See if you can get in touch with him."

"Tell him that he can also take anything he wants from the house." Gemma offered. Tig nodded as he left the room to grab his cell phone and make a few calls. Marissa continued to glare at Tara before shaking her head. She hugged Gemma tightly for a few moments.

"I need to head back. If you need anything, make sure to have Tig call me." Marissa turned towards Tara. "Since the danger has been taken care of, I'm assuming you can take care of things here." Marissa didn't even try to hide her distain as she walked out of the house, ignoring Tara's pleas to come back.


	4. Chapter 4

Happy had pulled his bike up behind Marissa's Road Runner and cut the engine. He was drained, both mentally and physically. At first they thought that Abel was in Canada but Juice got his hands on a picture of a dead Cameron Hayes in Belfast, Ireland. It seemed like they were back at square one. He sighed before walking in the house, knowing that he was going to need a huge favor from his Old Lady.

He walked in the house and heard soft music coming from the back room. He walked into Marissa's relaxation room to find her lying down on the floor wearing a tank top and pajama shorts. She had a bottle sitting next to her and a blank look on her face. Happy sat down next to her and took the bottle when she handed it to him. The sat in silence for a few moments letting the soothe sounds of Michael Buble fill the room.

"I killed someone today." Marissa stated and Happy jerked his head to look at her. Marissa continued to stare at the ceiling. "It was Gemma's dad's care taker. She was going to turn Gemma in for the reward so Gemma tied her up in the basement. Some shit went down and Tara let the girl free long enough to get whacked in the head with an oxygen tank. The chick ran upstairs and we almost collided in the kitchen. Then she ran into my knife." Marissa told the story with absolutely no emotion. Happy took another swig of the bottle.

"You okay?"

"Yup." Marissa stared at the ceiling a little longer before she addressed Happy again. "I just figured that this full disclosure shit should work both ways, so that's why I told you." Happy nodded in understanding.

"It's not easy for everyone to be able to kill." Marissa snorted.

"She wasn't the first person I killed, Hap."

"I know that you killed your ex's dad…."

"He wasn't my first either." This left Happy a bit shocked. He justified that her blind rage was what allowed her the ability to kill Anthony a few months ago. It never occurred to him that she had experience in murder and mayhem. He remembered that Gemma had confided in him that Tara thought Marissa was more than just Dante's girlfriend and now Happy was starting to believe it was true.

"I have you beat by two." Happy looked confused so Marissa decided to elaborate. "You have twelve smiley face tattoos on your abdomen; I would have fourteen on mine." Marissa laughed slightly to herself, letting her drunkenness start to shine through.

"Maybe that's what I should do: get a tattoo for everyone I ever killed but instead of smiley faces, I'll put stars or some shit. Or maybe crosses so I could be reminded of each and every reason why I won't make it to heaven…you know, if heaven exists." Marissa continued to giggle softly and Happy ran his hand over her hair.

"You wanna tell me what's really going on?" Marissa was quiet for a few minutes as she tried to process her thoughts into words.

"I have been shooting since I was 15 years old. My Ma thought I needed to protect myself she used to sneak me into the ranges and teach me how to shoot. I don't mean to sound conceited but I was a pretty good fucking shot." Marissa paused as she took a drink. "After my Ma and Chris were killed, I was angry. I was so god damn angry at the world. I had been with Dante for awhile and it was no secret who his father was. I begged Dante to find out the truth."

"You said that it was mob related." Happy said remembering the conversation they had in Marissa's office in Chicago before they had sex for the first time. Marissa nodded.

"Dante got me a name. It was a guy by the name of Joe Russo. Apparently him and Chris had a business deal that went south and Joe wanted to assert his dominance. I followed him for weeks until I knew he's schedule better than my own. I was fucking obsessed. Finally, I was able to get him alone in the men's bathroom of some random fucking strip club that he liked to hang out at." Marissa laughed slightly as she remembered what happened.

"I was still in high school for fuck's sake; my senior year. I had on my school girl uniform and the bouncers let me in like I was auditioning or some shit. I followed him into the bathroom, locked the door and waited. When he finally got out of the stall, I didn't even hesitate. I didn't ask him any questions or even tell him who I was…I just put two bullets in his skull and walked out of the bathroom like nothing happened."

"So what happened afterwards?"

"Nothing. No one suspected me and the security cameras weren't nearly as high tech as they are now so all they saw was a fuzzy blob go in the bathroom. After Joey died, I thought I would never do it again; take someone's life. But it became so fucking easy. No one even bothered to suspect me and I wanted so desperately to belong in Dante's world, so I took on some jobs." Marissa eyes started to glaze over.

"And?"

"And now I feel like I'm starting over again. Like I have to prove to everyone that I belong in your world. That I am strong enough to be able to do whatever necessary to keep shit together." Marissa rubbed her forehead. "The way Tara looked at me today? She was looking at me like I was some kind of monster. I don't regret killing the chick, cause she had to go. But I regret watching my best friend looking at me like she was terrified of me." Happy wanted to comfort her, wanted to offer her some words to make her get through this but there was nothing he could say. This was something that she was going to have to work out on her own.

"You ready to go to bed?" Marissa shook her head.

"I'm going to just lay here for awhile." Marissa turned to look at him. "You look exhausted. Go lay down, Hap. I'll be there in a minute." Happy looked in Marissa's eyes and knew that she needed some time to herself so he kissed her soundly on the lips before heading into their bedroom.

* * *

><p>The following morning, Marissa's back was killing her. When she opened her eyes, she realized that she had fallen asleep on the wooden floor while clutching a bottle of Jack Daniels in her hand. She shook her head slightly as she started to prop herself up. Midway she gave up and hit the floor with a thud. She closed her eyes and heard the soft chuckle coming from the doorway.<p>

"Bite me, Happy." Marissa groaned.

"You were the one that said you were going to head to bed last night. You have the worst habit of falling asleep in the most random places." Happy stated as he walked in the room and picked the tiny woman up in his arms before transporting on their bed. Marissa quickly climbed under the covers and buried her head under the pillow. The events of the previous day played in her mind and she wished that she could sleep for a few more hours. However, she could literally feel Happy's eyes on hers from his spot at the bottom of the bed. Without moving her head from under the pillow, she spoke.

"Let me guess: I won't be able to sleep in today."

"I wish you could but I need a favor." Marissa turned over so she could look at Happy. He intertwined their fingers together as he stared at her.

"We have reason to believe that Abel is in Vancouver. The guys and I are going to head up North, grab Gemma and make our way to Canada. But before we do that, I have to head outside of Rouge River." Marissa furrowed her eyebrows.

"For what?"

"Piney has a connection that can give me prescription meds for Ma. She's running low and her insurance is being a fucking dick right now. I need you to meet me somewhere and take the meds to my Ma in Bakersfield while I go to Vancouver." Marissa nodded as she started to sit up. She didn't even bother to ask any questions as she jumped in the shower to start to get ready.

* * *

><p>The driver to Bakersfield was long and gave Marisa a great deal of time to think. Like everything else that was going in her life, getting Miriam's meds was nothing short of a headache. The guys had run into some trouble and there had been a gun fight of sorts. Marissa had been waiting at a local park for nearly 4 hours before Piney, Bobby and Happy pulled up. They gave her all the meds she needed for Miriam and filled her trunk with HIV meds, which apparently had a lot of street value. She was given a safe combination to put the meds when she went back to Charming.<p>

She stood outside her car as she kissed Hap goodbye. She gave him the normal speech about being careful and not dying on her. He expressed his concern that she didn't beg to go to Canada, especially after Tara all but demanded to go just to be shut down by Jax. Marissa simply said if she was needed anywhere, it was here. She had to get the meds to Hap's mom and someone needed to stay and run the garage. The last thing SAMCRO needed was to come back from their latest adventure with no business to keep them employed.

Truth was, she was pretty damn excited to get away from all the drama for a day or two. She needed a break and going to Bakersfield gave her the out she needed. She had seen Tara and the two best friends quickly apologized and made up. Tara admitted that she was slightly jealous of Marissa's ability to handle shit in tough situations, especially now that she knew Jax blamed her for Abel's kidnapping. She pulled in front of Miriam's house and grabbed the boxes before making her way to the front door. When Miriam answered she had a huge smile on her face, but Marissa could tell that it was forced. She put the boxes down on a table and all but demanded that Miriam get back in bed.

"You sound like my son." Marissa laughed as she went in the kitchen and made some hot tea. She also grabbed a bottle of water and some meds before going back in Miriam's room. She watched as the older woman took the pills before motioning for Marissa to sit in the chair next to her bed.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" Miriam asked.

"Yeah. I'm just a bit tired. How are you feeling?"

"The rain from the other day has bothered my bones but for the most part, I'm alright." Miriam held Marissa's hand and squeezed.

"Michael told me about the baby. I am so sorry hija." Marissa felt a pain hit her heart but she tired to ignore it. She had been trying like hell to close that chapter in her life and it was still a sore subject for her.

"Thank you. I'm fine though, so no need to worry about me." Miriam wanted to dig deeper but decided to let it go. She propped her pillows up and got comfortable.

"So…tell me what has been going on with you and my son?" Marissa laughed out loud as she started to tell the woman various stories about her relationship, enjoying the moment of normalcy.

* * *

><p>Marissa was driving home when her cell phone started to ring. She reached in her purse while trying to keep an eye on the road. She answered the phone.<p>

"Yeah?"

"How far away are you from Charming?" Jax demanded to know.

"Uh…about a half an hour or so."

"Do you think you could get there any quicker?"

"What's going on?"

"Gemma put her Dad in a nursing home today and she broke down. We think she is heading back to Charming to be with Abel. I need you to try and get to her. We are on our way."

"Okay." Marissa hung up the phone, tossing it into the passenger seat. She easily shifted the gears in her car, weaving in and out of traffic. She turned corners without hitting the brakes and she narrowly avoided being t-boned by a truck when she ran a stop sign. Marissa kept a firm glance in her rearview mirror to make sure no cops decided to jump out and stop her.

She had to get to Gemma first. She cursed everyone silently. She told them that they should have told Gemma. She told them that shit was going to hit the fan but nobody listened to her and now they were all running from various part of the state to stop this woman from a jail term.

Marissa saw the Welcome to Charming sign and quickly put her car in fifth gear. She wasn't worried about the Charming Police Department, considering Unser was still Sheriff. Her tires squealed as she pulled into TM garage. She saw Gemma and it looked like everything started to happen in slow motion.

When Marissa opened the door, she saw Gemma on her cell phone. Marissa watched as Gemma's face turned into grief before scrunching up in pain. Marissa started to run as she saw Gemma grab her chest and start to fall. She made it to Gemma just before she hit the ground. She grabbed Gemma's cell phone and promptly dialed 911 while pleading with Gemma to stay strong.

She could hear sirens coming from the right and motorcycles from the left but she never released her grip on Gemma. She heard Jax's yell for his mother before she saw him knell down beside her. The paramedics arrived and had to forcefully remove Marissa from Gemma. She stood in shock as they placed Gemma on a gurney and put her in the ambulance.

Marissa turned to Jax and glared. "Still think it's a good idea to keep secrets from your mother?" She walked past everyone as she headed towards her car, hell bent on getting to the hospital in record time.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: This is more or less just a filler chapter._

* * *

><p>Marissa paced the waiting room floor as she tried to ignore the voices surrounding her. She was scared, livid and just damn exhausted. She looked up when a doctor made his way into the room.<p>

"Gemma has a bad arrhythmia." The doctor started to say.

"The family flaw." Jax murmured under his breath.

"We have to keep her monitored to make sure that her heartbeat stays regular." The doctor cleared his throat a little bit. "Um, I should also inform you that Mrs. Teller is under police custody and has been detained by the ATF."

"SHIT!" Clay roared.

"She is awake and asks to speak to someone named Marissa." Everyone turned to look at Marissa who simply nodded as she followed the doctor down the hallway. She stood outside the door for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and pushing her way inside. Gemma sat in the hospital bed handcuffed to the rail.

"Did you know?" Gemma asked Marissa. Marissa bit her lip and nodded. "For fuck's sake, Marissa, you should have told me."

"I wanted to but everyone thought with all the shit that you had going on, finding out about Abel would make shit worse." Marissa gestured to the monitors. "They think Abel is in Vancouver. They were going to head up there before you went AWOL on their asses." Gemma rolled her eyes.

"Abel's not in Vancouver. He's in Belfast."

"Ireland? How the hell do you know that?" Gemma played with her blanket.

"The cell phone call. It was from Maureen Ashby. She's McGee's Old Lady, a first 9. She said that my grandson was in Belfast." Marissa groaned.

"Is there any reason she could be lying?"

"She would have no reason to." Marissa pulled up a chair and took a seat.

"Why did you come back to Charming, Gemma?"

"When I found my father in the rose garden, he told me about my mother dying. He said that she died alone. Then when we went to the nursing home, he started rambling about the importance of family. This family is all I got left, Rissa. I can't spend the rest of my life on the lam when I'm needed here. I called Stahl, told her I would turn myself in as long as she took the death penalty off the table." Marissa sucked in a breath.

"Jesus Christ, Gemma. You have to know that the bitch is going to try to screw you." Marissa watched as Gemma blinked back a few tears before composing herself.

"I have to try." Marissa knew that there was no way to change Gemma's mind. Instead she stood up and kissed Gemma on the cheek. "I'll send the boys in here. There is something I have to do." Marissa hit the door when she heard Gemma speak.

"Tell the doc to get in here too. She better have some answers for me too."

Marissa walked back in the waiting room and looked around. "Where's Tara?"

"I have no idea." Jax stated. "How's Gemma?" Marissa jerked her head towards the door.

"She wants to see you and Clay. Prepare yourselves, she knows about Abel."

"Did you tell her?" Jax demanded to know. Marissa glared at the chosen one.

"I didn't have to. She knows, Jax and if you want to know how, you and Clay take your asses in there and deal with Gemma." Marissa stormed out of the waiting room. She walked past the chapel and took a step back when she saw the figure sitting at the pew.

She walked inside and walked to the front of the aisle. She turned towards Tara who had her head down. Marissa crossed her arms over her chest.

"There something you wanna tell me?" Marissa asked as Tara who jerked her head up.

"How's Gemma?"

"Don't deflect Tara. Is there something you want to tell me?" Tara avoided Marissa's eyes and it was starting to piss Marissa off. "How far along are you?" Marissa threw the question out there and watched as Tara's eyes went wide.

"How did you…"

"I know you Tara. Plus you are showing every symptom of pregnancy that I learned in my 9th grade Health Class. Why didn't you tell me?" Tara looked down before answering.

"Everything has been so damn crazy lately. I haven't had time to even think about this baby or even process what it means." Marissa took a seat next to Tara.

"And you thought telling me about your baby would somehow make me upset about losing my own?" Tara nodded. Marissa pulled her best friend in a hug. "Jesus, Tara. Don't you ever feel like you can't come to me because you think it might hurt me. I am your best friend, Tara and I don't want you to think that you can't confide in me, under any circumstances." Tara let a few tears fall down her face as she clung to Marissa.

"What are you going to do?" Tara shrugged.

"I don't know. There was a time when all I wanted was to be the mother of Jax's children, but after Abel…I just can't imagine bringing up a child in this chaos."

"How far along are you?"

"Six weeks." Marissa sighed deeply.

"Take the time to think before making any rash decisions. Gemma's awake and she wants to see you. She knows about Abel." Tara groaned.

"I'm assuming she's pissed." Tara wiped her hands on her jeans before standing up. "Thanks Rissa."

* * *

><p>Marissa was back at the garage going through the parking lot like a mad woman. She was trying to process all of the events of the past few days and she knew if she took a moment to breathe, she just may collapse so she had to keep herself busy. She heard the sound of bikes pull up but she ignored them as she bent down and started looking under cars.<p>

"What are you doing Rissa?" She heard Hap ask but she ignored him as she continued to look. After about the 5th car, she finally found what she was looking for. She reached under the car and grabbed the cell phone before standing up. She noticed Happy, Jax, Bobby and Opie looking at her with confused expressions. She handed the phone to Jax.

"I'm assuming Gemma told you." When Jax nodded, she continued. "The last call on Gemma's phone should be this Maureen chick." She walked away and headed into the office. She started to grab paperwork as she turned on the computer. A few minutes passed before she noticed Happy standing in the door frame. The way he was studying her made her uncomfortable.

"What?" Marissa barked.

"You alright?" Marissa nodded.

"I'm fine. I just want to get some work done." She gestured to the mess in front of her but Happy wouldn't move.

"I'm worried about you." Marissa snorted.

"I'm the last one people should be worried about right now." Happy shut the office door and grabbed Marissa's shoulders forcing her to stand still and lock eyes with him. She sighed deeply and leaned her head into his shoulder for a few moments.

"I'm fine Hap. I just…I need to feel like I'm doing something useful right now." Happy grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the door and headed towards his bike.

"Let me take you home. Get some rest reina before you try to take on the world by yourself." Marissa didn't argue as she wrapped his arms around his waist and leaned her head on his back as he pulled out the lot.

* * *

><p>When Marissa heard the front door open, she bolted up and noticed that it had turned dark outside. She must have passed out on the couch without even realizing it. She looked up as Tig, Happy, Jax and Juice walked into the living room and sat down. Marissa begun to get up to let them talk in peace but Jax lifted his hand signaling for her to stay.<p>

"I talked to Maureen. Abel is in Belfast." Marissa breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is he safe?"

"She said that Abel was with a friend for now but it's important that I get there soon."

"So why haven't you left yet?" Marissa demanded to know. Tig answered.

"Our bail gets revoked tomorrow for that church shit with Zobelle. There is no way that we can leave yet. Plus we are a little low on funds." Marissa rubbed her forehead.

"What about those meds that you gave me to put in the safe?" Marissa asked Happy. "You said they had a lot of street value. Can't you sell them?"

"Who would we sell them to?"

"Ask Tara. I'm pretty sure she can find a place."

"I don't want Tara involved in anymore shit." Jax stated.

"Jax, Tara needs to help. With everything going on, she needs to prove that she belongs. Let her help in anyway she can." Jax's phone rang and he went in the kitchen to take the call. A few minutes later he came back out.

"I gotta go." The guys started to stand up but Jax shook his head. "I gotta do this on my own. I'll meet you back at the clubhouse later." Everyone sat in silence as they tried to think of what to do.

"We have to make some cash quick." Tig said.

"We have any favors we can call in?" Juice asked.

"Not enough to get us to Belfast and deal with this legal shit. Even if we do sell those meds, there is still no guarantee that it will be enough." Marissa stood up and walked away and headed back towards her relaxation room. She came back with a shoe box. She sat the box on the coffee table and motioned for Happy to open it. When he did, he looked up at her. The box was filled with hundred dollar bills.

"What is this?"

"This is enough money for you guys to deal with the legal shit and be able to go to Belfast." Happy frowned as he prepared to argue.

"I thought you weren't touching your ex's money."

"It's not Dante's…well not exactly." At the confused look on the men's faces, Marissa continued. "Dante's sister gave it to me after Anthony died. Technically the money is his."

"We can't take this Hurricane."

"You don't have a choice. You need money, I have money. There is no problem from where I am standing. Go and find my nephew and bring him back home."


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: This chapter contains sexual content. Writing these scenes are not my strong suit but I'm hoping it's getting better. I look forward to everyone's feedback._

* * *

><p>The one thing that Marissa learned at a very young age was to always trust her instincts. They were the only thing that had never failed her. All of her senses were on high alert as she sat in the backyard of her home with a lit joint in one hand and a beer in the other. She had sent Happy, Juice and Tig back to the clubhouse with two hundred thousand dollars in a duffel bag. Before she could lock the front door and run herself a bubble bath, the doorbell rang. She opened it to find Lyla standing there with tears streaming down her face. She ushered the young blonde into the home and grabbed her a bottle of water.<p>

She listened as Lyla rambled about Opie and their relationship. She had confided that Opie wanted her to quit the porn business. He said the idea of her fucking other men, even if it was her job, was not something that sat well with him. Lyla tried to explain that it was the only job that she had held for the past seven years and didn't even know where to begin to start over.

Lyla confessed to Marissa that she wasn't sure if she wanted to quit her job because she was unsure of where the relationship between Opie and Lyla as headed. Lyla had only been privy to bits and pieces of what was going on. Apparently, Opie had not fully learned his lesson from losing Donna and was adamant about not sharing any club business with his girl.

Marissa tried to offer up as much advice as she possible could but she was rocked to her core when Lyla confessed that she was pregnant. She assured Marissa that the baby was Op's but she had no intention of keeping it. With everything going on and Opie's feelings still unclear, Lyla said she didn't want to have another baby until she was sure that Opie was the one. Lyla said that she was currently searching for a clinic that was completely anonymous so that it could never be traced back to her. Lyla didn't want to tell Opie in case he tried to change her mind.

Marissa told Lyla to contact Tara and explain her situation. After a few more moments of talking and comfort, Lyla had left. Marissa sent Tara a text highlighting the conversation and informing the doctor that Lyla would be looking for her. After hitting the send button, Marissa turned her cell phone off and walked outside. She sat down in the lawn chair and tried to stop her jealously from killing her.

Tara was pregnant. Lyla was pregnant. If Gemma said that her menopausal ass was knocked up, Marissa swore she was going to punch herself in the face repeatedly. It would be just her luck to be surrounded by pregnancy just a few months after horrifically losing her own unborn child. Marissa had worked hard in trying not to think about that time in her life and it seemed like the latest events was some sort of bad karma that fell at Marissa's feet.

"Karma can go suck a dick right about now." Marissa said to herself as she put out the joint and finished her beer in two gulps.

Marissa never wanted children, never even entertained the idea. She was always a bit of a free bird and thought that children would just slow down her lifestyle, weaken her and make her vulnerable. When she had found out she was pregnant with Hap's baby, she was miserable. He had left her about a month earlier and Marissa couldn't believe that she was carrying a constant reminder of him in her stomach. It was as if the fates wanted her to never forget Happy no matter how much she wanted to.

Even though she had kept her pregnancy a secret and wasn't even sure what she was going to do with a child, when she lost her baby, she was devastated. When she awoke in the hospital and felt her flat stomach for the first time, she was catapulted into a state of shock. It didn't help that Happy had found out about the baby and he kept going back and forth between hating Anthony and cursing Marissa for keeping her mouth shut.

Marissa closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the chair. She hated when her mind went back to that place. It was definitely one of the darkest moments in her life and in true Marissa fashion, she had yet to fully deal with the loss. Sure she cried and even avenged her child's killer, but other than that, neither she nor Happy had discussed the baby any further. She wasn't even sure where Happy stood on the subject of kids.

She knew that there was a time when he didn't want kids, but there was also a time when Happy didn't want an Old Lady and here Marissa was. She sometimes wondered if the loss of a child changed Happy's views on children. Sometimes she would stand back and watch him interact with Abel, Kenny or Piper and she couldn't help but smile. She knew that a lot of people would look at her like she was crazy, but Marissa thought that Happy would make an excellent father. Despite all of gruff and rough exterior, he was a man that desperately searched for a sense of family. That is what ultimately brought him to SAMCRO. That is what brought ninety percent of the men and the woman to this motorcycle club lifestyle. They were all searching and needing a family and SAMCRO offered that.

Marissa pulled her legs up into the chair and rested her head on her knees. She was debating if she should even bring the subject of children up to Happy. Despite the insanity and chaos that was surrounding them, their relationship was actually in a good place and Marissa didn't know if she would be rocking the boat if she said anything.

She mentally yelled at herself. Tried to tell herself that the only reason she felt that way was because of Tara and Lyla's announcement. Plus the kidnapping of Abel was not helping matters. She still couldn't believe that the baby was in another fucking country.

Belfast. That was another cause of concern for Marissa. She knew that Happy was going to volunteer to go over there. She wasn't sure how many of the men were going to go but she knew for certain that Happy was going to jump at the chance to shed some blood. He was a natural born killer and it was situations like this where he excelled. Marissa was in a grey area about her feelings about that. On one hand, she knew that Happy going could be a great thing as far as getting Abel back but the selfish part of her wanted him home.

There was no guarantee how long this Belfast trip was going to do and Marissa had learned that she became plagued with anxiety when Happy was gone for more than three days. Ever since he patched into the mother charter and they had repaired their relationship, there weren't too many nights that she spent alone. Now she had to prepare herself for the possibility of being without her love for the unforeseeable future and that bothered the hell out of her.

Marissa heard the sliding door open and she pulled her head up from her knees to see who it was. She watched as Happy walked towards her. Marissa had been so deep in her own thoughts that she didn't even hear his bike come up. She cursed again for letting her guard down. If she didn't start paying more attention, anyone could just walk up and hurt her. Happy picked Marissa up as he took her seat in the chair before sitting her down in his lap, her legs straddling his and they sat there pressed chest to chest. They sat there in silence, finding comfort in the cool California breeze. Marissa pulled her head up from Hap's chest and ran a soft hand over his beautiful facial features.

Marissa learned that she could get lost in Happy's eyes for hours. To most people, his eyes were dark and scary but to Marissa, they were one of her favorite features. Being with him allowed her the chance to notice small things that others didn't and she had learned how to read his eyes. Right now, he was looking at her with a mix of concern and exhaustion.

"Everything alright baby?" Marissa asked as she laid a palm on his cheek. She watched as Happy leaned into her touch as if the small gesture could relive all the tension in his body. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly before rubbing a hand over the small of Marissa's back.

These were the moments she lived for. When it was just her and Happy and they could shut out the rest of the world and just be together. She didn't care if they were sitting together, having sex and going for a ride. Any time that she got to spend with Happy by herself was a special time for Marissa.

"Clay wants to bring in some new prospects." Marissa winced slightly. She knew that it was only a matter of time before they would have to bring in some new blood, but Kip's death was still raw and she was slightly upset that he was so replaceable. "Koz said he wants to patch SAMCRO, but that isn't going to happen."

"Why not?"

"Because unlike a lot of other votes where majority rules, in order to patch over everyone has to be in agreement."

"And Tig isn't going to let that shit happen." Marissa finished for him and Happy simply nodded. "What are you guys going to do about the bail hearing?"

"Clay is going to see if the mouthpiece can give us an extension. If she does, then we can find a way to Belfast as long as we are back before the hearing." Marissa nodded as she laid her head down on Happy's shoulder as he continued to run a hand over her back.

"I don't want to leave you." Happy confessed. "The last time I left…" Happy trailed off, unable to finish the statement.

"That was different. This time you are not leaving me. This time you are going to handle club business. I have faith that you are going to come home to me." Marissa searched his eyes before pressing her lips to his. They stayed still for a moment before Happy reached his hands in her hair, deepening the kiss. They both knew that it would probably be a while before they could be this intimate again and they both wanted to make it count. Marissa couldn't stop the moan from escaping the back of her throat.

Sex with Happy was always exhilarating. Whether he had bent over the couch gripping her hair, or thrusting quickly into her in the bathroom at the clubhouse, Marissa was always left satisfied and desired. However, it was these rare moments that made Marissa's body catch fire like nothing else. Those soft kisses, tender touches and gentle holding that allowed Happy to express what words couldn't.

He tightened his hold on her, moaning against her mouth when he felt the softness of her breasts pressed against him. He tore his mouth from hers and began to kiss her neck hungrily. She whimpered as he latched onto a particularly sensitive spot, and her eyes closed in bliss at the warmth of his tongue moving over her.

"Happy…" His mouth stilled on her neck for a moment at the soft plea, and then he returned to his efforts, kissing, licking and lightly sucking at her until she was lost, clinging to his shoulders to anchor herself. He ran his hand lightly down her back, and her breath hitched when it moved forward, brushing lightly against her stomach. She gripped a hand over the back of his neck, pulling his head up so that she could see his eyes.

"God, you're beautiful," he whispered harshly. His hand continued to stroke her stomach softly and she leaned her forehead against his, her gaze locked on his as they both fought for breath. His hand inched higher, almost tentative in its quest for permission, and his eyes were fixed on hers. Her breasts ached to be touched, and she whimpered softly.

"Happy, please…" He leaned forward, capturing her mouth again as his hand moved to cup her, drawing forth a moan from deep inside her. She kissed him desperately, any composure or thread of sanity lost in the feeling of Happy's hand massaging her. She pressed herself closer, leaning against him and never breaking the kiss. Her hair fell around their faces like a curtain, shielding them from the outside world. Carefully she lifted one knee, dropping it on the other side of his lap, and he groaned, realizing what she had done. She lowered herself slowly and gasped against his mouth as she felt the proof of his desire pressed firmly against her. They both moaned as his hips lifted to meet hers desperately.

"Marissa," he murmured roughly. The passion in his voice was like a drug. It shot through her body, exciting every nerve ending, and settling in her core. His hands trailed down towards her hips, pulling her closer, and grinding her down against his erection, making them both moan with arousal.

He moved his hands to the back of her thighs as he easily lifted himself and her off the chair. He pressed her against the paneling of the house without ever breaking their kiss. Happy loved the feeling of Marissa's toned legs wrapped around his waist. She held on to him as if he was her anchor. He broke the kiss long enough to walk them both inside the house, while she was still cradled in his embrace. He walked into their bedroom and sat her gently down on the bed.

He wanted…no he needed to make this night special. He needed to express with his body of how much she meant to him and he knew she was going to do the same. A couple like theirs worked best without words. He watched as Marissa's hazel eyes darkened with lust and she unconsciously licked her lips. Happy discarded his shirt and wife beater. When Marissa tried to place a hand on his jean button, he swatted her away. Tonight was about her and her only.

Happy took off the rest of his clothes and stood in front of her. Marissa swore this man was the epitome of perfection. The cuts in his body, the ink that seemed to be everywhere were plastered like a beautiful painting in Marissa's mind. She could do nothing but watch as he took his time to kneel down in front of her by the bed. She was silently begging to be touched and she was starting to get frustrated that it was taking so long.

Happy ran his hands under her shirt and pulled the tank top of her head. With a snap her bra came off, leaving her naked from the waist up. Happy pushed her backwards so that her back hit the mattress with a soft thud. She watched under hooded eyes as he pulled her pajama capris and underwear off in one move. She lay still as Happy ran a hand over the outside of her right thigh.

She moaned loudly when he lay on top of her and pushed his tongue in her mouth. She gasped as she felt his hand move from her thigh to her throbbing center. He ran a thumb over her nub while continuing to assault her mouth. She couldn't contain her gasp when she felt two fingers slid inside her. She moved her hips as his fingers danced inside her. She gripped his shoulders as Happy started to place kisses down her neck.

She felt her breathing becoming labored as he continued to kiss down her body. He licked the crow tattoo on her left rib cage.

"Mine." Happy growled possessively and Marissa was more turned on than she could ever imagine. When he moved down to between her legs, he pulled back her folds before licking and sucking. She groaned with pleasure as he lightly bit her and placed one of his hands over her breasts and squeezed.

"Please Happy…." Marissa begged as she couldn't take the torture anymore. Happy pretended not to hear until he felt her juices in his mouth as her body shuddered beneath him. Before she could even cool down from her orgasm, Happy had moved back up her body and grabbed a pillow. He placed it underneath her back giving them both better access. He gripped her leg as he slid inside her. The impact caused them both to damn near scream out loud.

The pace was slow, deliberate, as they both took the time to remember every inch of each other. Marissa's eyes locked on Happy's was the most exotic thing ever. She always seemed to look at him like they had never been anyone before him and she would never want anyone after him. He felt himself start to lose control and he cursed Marissa as she started to clench herself around him.

Marissa sat up and gripped Happy's elbows as their pace quickened. Marissa's head flew back as she could feel her body start to cave. She forced herself to meet Happy's eye and they continued to stare at each other as they were both on the verge of losing it.

After a few minutes, they came at the exact same time. It was as if their bodies had become completely in sync with each other and it was the most intimate thing that either one had ever experienced.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Happy's Girl asked me who I saw in the role of Marissa. I see Marissa as an Eva Mendes type but with very dark hair._

* * *

><p>Marissa pulled into the clubhouse the following day. Happy and some of the others had gone to deal with a Mayan problem so Marissa decided to see what she could do to distract herself. She was going to go to the hospital to see Gemma but when she was walking down the hall, she spotted Agent Stahl and quickly turned around. The last thing Marissa needed to do was get arrested for punching an ATF agent in the face.<p>

She saw Tara's Cutlass and smiled. At least there was someone here for her to talk to. Marissa stepped out of her car just as Tara stalked outside with tears streaming down her face. Marissa quickly moved towards Tara and grabbed her arm.

"What's wrong Tar?" Tara seemed to struggle with her words before she could speak.

"Jax is fucking that gash Ima." Marissa was shocked.

"Are you sure?" Tara laughed sarcastically.

"I just walked in on them together. He left the door open Marissa. He wanted me to see him with her." Marissa pulled Tara towards the picnic table and sat her down.

"Okay, back up. What happened?" Marissa was confused. She knew that losing Abel had caused Jax to push Tara away but she never knew that he would go this far.

"He came to the hospital yesterday and asked me to help him sell some prescription pills. He said that he really didn't want to ask me but I jumped at the chance to help, you know? So I contacted this free clinic that I knew would buy the meds. I guess someone must have seen us because the police raided the clubhouse looking for pills." Marissa was shocked that she wasn't informed of this sooner, but then she realized that she had shut off her cell phone last night. She and Happy had been so enthralled in each other that neither one wanted to venture out. But now it made sense why Happy left as soon as he checked his messages this morning.

"Anyway, Jax started yelling at me and blaming me for the shit backfiring. He started saying some real harsh shit Rissa; he was trying to hurt me. He told me that we were done and he left." Tara wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "I figured I would give him some time to cool off and try to talk to him. I came here to find him and when I opened the door, I saw him with Ima." Marissa could feel her blood boiling.

"Please tell me you beat her ass." Tara shook her head.

"I just had to get out of there. He did this on purpose. He wanted me to see him with her because he knew that it would be the one thing that would push me away. I can tolerate a lot of shit but him fucking that trash in front of him…I don't know how to forgive that, Rissa." Tara started to shake.

"Okay, baby. You need to calm down, especially considering your circumstances." Marissa tried her best to get Tara to breathe easier. Tara's cell phone went off and she grabbed it out of her purse.

"Shit. I have to get to the hospital."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Tara nodded as she tried to collect herself.

"My job is all I have left right now, Marissa. I can't afford to mess that up." The two women shared a hug and Marissa watched Tara pull out of the lot. She stood still for a few minutes before heading into the clubhouse. She walked towards Jax's room and barged in without knocking. Jax sat up startled at the noise but then seemed to calm down when he saw Marissa.

"Where is she?" Marissa seethed.

"This isn't your business, Marissa."

"Where. Is. She." Marissa asked again. She heard water coming from the bathroom and she threw her purse down in a nearby chair. She cracked her neck and felt the rage consume her body. Tara may not be able to beat this woman's ass, but Marissa damn sure could and was getting ready to. She saw Jax out of the corner of her eye as he pulled on some clothes after getting out of bed. She shot him a glare.

"Don't even think about trying to stop me Jackson." She heard the door open and before Ima could fully walk out the bathroom, Marissa pounced. She pushed the woman back into the room and quickly locked the door before Jax could even move.

"Can I help you?' Ima asked with a bit of an attitude.

"You really think sleeping with my best friend's man was smart?"

"He came to me, honey. I didn't go searching for him." Ima smirked. "If your bestie can't keep her man satisfied, why is that a problem of mine?"

"Did you happen to forget about that ass whopping I gave your friend Carly? What do you think is getting ready to happen to you?" Marissa ignored Jax's constant banging on the door. Ima's eyes showed fear but she tried to deny that she was scared.

"What are you going to do? Kill me?" Marissa smirked and before Ima could react, Marissa grabbed the back of the blonde's head and smashed it against the bathroom sink. The white sink automatically turned a shade of red from the blood that quickly leaked out of Ima's head. Marissa rolled her eyes when she noticed the woman was unconscious. She was pissed that the woman was so weak; Marissa was actually looking forward to a real fight.

She opened the bathroom door sharply and Jax almost fell inside. He took a look at Ima on the floor before glancing back at Marissa.

"She's not dead but she will have a hell of a headache when she wakes up." Jax sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Tara and I are over."

"Bullshit." Marissa hissed. "You want a piece of advice? You need to get your shit together quickly. You have known Tara since you guys were teens; you should know that she is not going to let you go easily. You think that you are protecting her but all you are doing is hurting yourself. She is stronger than you are giving her credit for." Jax sighed deeply.

"My life is destroying her. Look at all the shit that has happened." Marissa's eyes softened as she stepped forward and laid a hand on Jax's shoulder.

"She CHOSE to be here with you. She knew the dangers, the complications and she is still here. If she didn't want to be, she would have never come back."

"She came back because of that shit with her ex." Marissa shook her head.

"Tara could have went anywhere in the country. She applied for jobs all over and was accepted to all of them but Charming made her feel safe. YOU made her feel safe that is why she came back. After eleven years of being apart, she never stopped loving you, never stopped kicking herself for leaving. You are everything to her. You guys got a second chance at a once in a lifetime love. Don't let your stupid pride throw all of that away." Marissa kissed Jax's cheek and went to walk out the door. Before leaving she turned back around.

"When you come back from Belfast with Abel, I expect for you to make this right."

* * *

><p>Marissa walked into Gemma's hospital room, took one look at the woman in the bed and groaned.<p>

"Jesus Christ, what now?" Gemma shook her head as she placed the cell on the nightstand next to her.

"Just some old skeletons baby." Gemma said cryptically.

"Those skeletons plan on coming out the closet anytime soon?" Gemma looked at Marissa. Gemma needed to confide in someone and she wasn't sure if Tara was the right person. She motioned for Marissa to take a seat and took a deep breath.

"Oswald is going to help the boys get to Belfast. They are going to leave soon." Marissa sucked in a breath, knowing that there was a good chance she wouldn't be able to say goodbye to Happy before he left.

"I need to go with them." Marissa jerked her head up at Gemma.

"You do realize that you are handcuffed to a hospital bed, right? How the hell do you expect to get out of here and why the hell do you need to go?"

"They have my grandson, Marissa."

"And I'm sure the boys can handle this on their own." Marissa took a good look at Gemma. "What secrets are in Belfast that you don't want Jax to find out about?" Gemma looked shocked before laughing.

"I should have known I can't get shit past you." Gemma gestured to the cell phone on the table. "I just got off the phone with Maureen to let her know the guys would be leaving soon. She told me that she has a daughter name Trinity. Turns out she's JT's kid." Marissa wasn't expecting that.

"Did you know?" Gemma shook her head.

"JT used to spend a lot of time in Belfast. It never occurred to me that he would have another fucking family."

"You think Maureen will tell Jax?"

"I think if Maureen and JT had the kind of relationship that I'm praying he didn't have…that dink of a whore knows way too much and the last thing I need is her filling my baby's head with dead history. Some shit needs to stay buried." Gemma seemed spooked for the first time since Marissa had known the woman.

"You got a plan?" Marissa asked, knowing it was pointless to try and stop Gemma. All she could do was help in anyway she could.

"I gotta talk to Tara."

"That might not be the best idea." Marissa sighed as she told Gemma about Tara finding Ima and Jax together. Gemma seemed unfazed by the revelation.

"Tara's pregnant and if she doesn't want me to tell Jackson, then she will help me." Gemma said with authority. Marissa didn't even bother to ask how Gemma knew. She forgot that Gemma was the all-knowing when it came to Charming.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Marissa was sitting in her living room with her cell phone held tightly in her hand. She was waiting for some kind of confirmation from anyone that everything was alright. She had found Tara in the hospital and told her that Gemma needed to see her right away. Marissa tried desperately to find Happy but it was to no avail. She received a text message that said simply.<p>

_I love you. I'll be home soon._

She smiled with tears in her eyes as she read the text knowing that it was the closest thing to a formal good-bye that she was going to get. She said a silent prayer that everyone would come home safe and sound. Marissa had gone back to the house and tried to keep herself busy by cleaning and rearranging her book collection. She wasn't exactly sure how they planned to escape with Gemma and she was certain that the less she knew the better.

Marissa was getting ready to turn on the television and try to find something to watch when her cell phone rang. She didn't even let the phone get to the second ring before she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hurricane?" Tig asked. "I need you to get your ass to the police station and come bail me out." Marissa hung up the phone and grabbed her car keys before bolting out the door. Even with the most of the men headed halfway across the world, the drama in Charming never seemed to end.


	8. Chapter 8

Marissa watched with extreme boredom as Tig and Kozik fought each other in the ring. She found the whole thing completely and totally childish but her opinion didn't seem to matter. She had bailed Tig out of jail a few days ago after he had diverted the cops long enough to allow the guys and Gemma to make an escape to head to Belfast. She had received a call from a woman with an accent that said simply that they had made it before Marissa was stuck listening to the dial tone.

For the past couple of days, Marissa had been playing babysitter to Tig and Kozik and she was close to losing her mind. A part of her wanted to climb in the ring and kick both of their asses. While her loyalty had and will always lie with Tig, even she had to admit that Kozik made some interesting points. The only members of SAMCRO that were left in Charming were Tig and Piney. Apparently the Mayan problem was a bit more complicated than everyone had originally assumed and Kozik was needed just in case shit went south.

However, talking logic to Tig was like trying to pull teeth. Marissa patted Lucy; Tig's new Rottweiler that Marissa had gotten him for Christmas. The dog that was supposed to help Tig get over the loss of Missy. Obviously that didn't happen as Tig landed a hard right to Kozik's ribs.

"Hey sweet pea." Marissa looked over at Piney and smiled. She accepted a kiss from the old man and pointed towards the ring.

"Is there anyway you can get them to stop this shit?"

"I could shoot them." Piney offered and Marissa was close to taking him up on the offer but declined. She sighed harshly and jumped down off her seat as she headed towards the ring. She climbed inside and ducked just before she caught a fist to the eye.

"ENOUGH!" Marissa yelled causing both men to stop and stare at her. "I have dealt with this bullshit for days now and I'm fucking tired of this. It is time to let this shit go once and for all."

"BUT HE…" Tig and Kozik both said at the same time as they pointed at each other.

"I don't give a damn anymore. My nephew has been kidnapped, one of my good friends is now considered a fugitive and my boyfriend is thousands of miles away. I'm exhausted and sick and tired of the drama and unnecessary bullshit. You two will try to be civil until the boys come back or so help me God, I WILL shoot one of you in the kneecaps." Marissa jumped back out of the ring and walked towards the office.

"Would she really do that?" Kozik asked.

"Yup." Tig and Piney replied in unison.

* * *

><p>"We got a problem." Tig said as he, Piney and Kozik walked in Marissa's home two days later. Marissa was standing there with a cup of coffee in her hand and she promptly rolled her hazel eyes.<p>

"Can't you people ever wait until I have had a sufficient amount of caffeine in my system before you give me a new crisis?" Tig looked around the house while ignoring her complaint.

"Where's Tara?" Every since the boys had went to Ireland, Tara had been staying with Marissa to avoid being alone.

"Work." Marissa sat down on the loveseat and pulled her legs up Indian style. She took a deep sip from her mug before looking at the three men. "Do you need me to call her or something?"

"Nah, no sense worrying her if we don't have to."

"Besides, we don't know how much Jax has told her."

"Told her about what?"

"The Mayans. How much do you know?" Piney asked Marissa. She sat the coffee mug down on a coaster, knowing that this was not going to be a fun day.

"Hap told me he thought the guys that were shooting at Kip's funeral were some Mayan patch over shit but I thought that the situation was handled." Tig ran a hand over his hair before he looked at Marissa intensely.

"You remember Lumpy?" Marissa nodded as she remembered being introduced to the older gym owner a time or two over the course of her time in Charming. She also knew that Lumpy was really important to Tig, although she never knew why.

"Someone came in and destroyed his gym. Roughed Lumpy up real bad. We thought it was Darby, but when we went to talk to him, he said that he is trying to go straight or some shit. Darby says Jacob Hale asked him to go after Lumpy but he refused."

"Jacob Hale? Why would he want to hurt Lumpy?" Marissa asked confused.

"Hale wants to buy up all of Charming so he can turn the town into his own empire. Lumpy refused to sell to Hale cause the gym is all he got left. Anyway, we ran into Unser and he said that Lumpy said the attacker was Mexican."

"The Mayans." Tig nodded.

"I don't think its Alvarez. We seem to have a pretty good understanding with him, but it could be some of those assholes that just patched over." Marissa crossed her legs and leaned back.

"What do you want me to do?" Piney grabbed her hand softly.

"Just be careful, sweet pea. Keep an eye out for anything that seems suspicious and if you see or feel anything off; you make sure to call us." Tig looked at Marissa.

"I want to keep one of the prospects here." Marissa shook her head.

"Absolutely not. I don't know these new kids and I don't trust my life or Tara's in their hands. I promise to be careful and be on my guard but I will not have a stranger sleeping on my couch."

"Do you always have to so fucking hardheaded?" Tig growled.

"Do you trust this newbies with MY life, Tigger?" Tig thought for a minute and shook his head.

"No, I don't." Marissa sat back and smirked. "So me, Koz and Piney will take turns staying here." Tig smiled as Marissa groaned, her plan clearly backfiring on her.

* * *

><p>"Come in." Marissa said as someone knocked on her bedroom door later on that night. Tara poked her head in before walking fully in the room and shutting the door behind her.<p>

"Why are Tig and Kozik fighting in the living room?"

"Because it completes my nine circles of hell." Marissa deadpanned as she leaned against her headboard, some stupid reality show playing on her television screen. "How was work?" Tara sighed as she toed off her shoes and climbed on the bed. She placed her head in Marissa's lap and Marissa gently stroked her hair.

"Being around all those sick babies is taking a toll on me." Marissa nodded as she lowered the volume on her television.

"How's Lyla? I haven't had the time to see her in between trying to keep the garage open and playing referee to Ren and Stimpy out there." Tara shrugged her shoulders.

"She seems to be unfazed. She told me that she was only taking a few days off before she has to film a new movie. She treated it like it was just any other day." The two women sat in silence as Marissa continued to stroke Tara's hair.

"Have you heard from Jax?" Tara shook her head. "Well I guess no news is good news." Tara remained quiet and Marissa leaned forward so she could look at her friend. "Talk to me, chica. What's going on?"

"Do you have plans tomorrow?" Tara blurted out.

"Uh…not really. I wanted to go get a massage to relive some sort of tension but those plans aren't set in stone or anything. What's up?" Tara sat up and looked Marissa in the eye.

"I have an appointment tomorrow…to get an abortion." Marissa's eyes went wide. She knew that Tara was on the fence about what to do regarding her pregnancy but she always assumed the young doctor would end up keeping the baby.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Tara nodded her head as tears filled her eyes.

"I can't bring a baby into this world. I can't allow what happened to Abel happen to my baby."

"What happened to Abel was a one in a million thing. The chances of that happening…"

"The chances of something like that happening in this town with this motorcycle club are higher than I wanna risk. Besides, with things being so rocky with Jax and I, I don't want him to feel obligated to be with me because I am pregnant with his baby."

"You know that Gemma is going to tell Jax?" Marissa tried to reason with Tara. She knew the woman long enough to know that even if she seemed sure about her decision now, she was going to be filled with regrets later on.

"It's a risk I have to take and I can only hope that he understands why I did this. I really need you to come with me. Please Marissa." Marissa nodded and Tara quickly threw her arms around her. "Thank you Rissa."

* * *

><p>"Jesus Fucking Christ." Marissa shouted as she and Tara finally got in Marissa's car the next morning. Marissa and Tara had been interrogated for close to an hour about their plans for the day. Marissa told Tig that they had plans to go to a day spa and enjoy some girl time. She put her foot down when Tig said he would send Kozik with them. She spent the better of her time counter arguing everything that Tig threw at her. Finally, he relented and the women all put ran out the door.<p>

"How far away is this place?" Marissa asked as she pulled out into the highway.

"About three hours." At Marissa's raised eyebrow, Tara explained. "I wanted to make sure that it was going to be completely anonymous."

"Yeah well that flew out the window the second Queen Gemma figured out your little secret."

"I'm already nervous as hell. Can you try not to make it worse?"

"Sorry." Marisa mumbled as she turned on the stereo. She found an old 80s station and the women started to sing along with an old Blondie song. Marissa looked in her rear view mirror as a car seemed to come out of nowhere on the mostly empty highway.

Marissa switched lanes and relaxed a bit as she continued to sing. The conversation that she had with the guys played back in her head but she didn't want to alarm Tara if it was just Marissa's paranoia. The girls giggled amongst themselves when Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" came on and the each started singing at the top of their lungs.

Marissa had been so distracted with Tara that when she saw the car speeding up behind her, it was too late. Before she could even grab her stick shift, the car rammed into the back of them. Both women screamed as the car spun before hitting a guardrail. Marissa's head jerked forward and her world went black.


	9. Chapter 9

The first thing Marissa noticed when she came to was that her hands were bound and her head was pounding. She struggled to open her eyes and adjust to the darkness of the room she was in. She looked down and noticed that her shirt had been ripped, exposing the crow tattoo on her rib cage. She looked to her right and saw Tara being propped up against a wall with her hands bound behind her back as well. Marissa took comfort in the rise and fall of Tara's chest and the lack of blood made her believe that no one had hurt her.

"Tara?" Marissa scratched out, her voice still raw from screaming during the collision. "Tara?" Marissa tried again, a little bit louder. She saw Tara start to stir awake and Marissa breathed a sigh of relief. It took a few minutes before Tara was fully alert and both women were glad to see that the other wasn't seriously hurt.

"What the hell happened?" Tara asked. Marissa gestured with her head down to the rip in her shirt.

"I'm guessing our tattoos have something to do with this." Marissa groaned when she thought of the lecture she was going to get from Tig…if they made it out of this latest shit alive. "You alright babe?" Tara nodded as she didn't feel any broken bones or damage. She looked at Marissa who had a nasty cut on the side of her head. Tara figured it must have come from her hitting the steering wheel when they crashed.

"GOD DAMNIT!" Marissa roared and Tara went wide-eyed. "My fucking car. Those assholes probably destroyed Coyote." Tara couldn't help but to roll her eyes. Leave it to Marissa to be more worried about her car than her own safety.

"At least you are alive." Tara tried to reason.

"Yeah, well those fuckers better kill me if they totaled Coyote. Damn it, all that money and work I put in that car down the fucking toilet. Just fucking great." Marissa banged the back of her head on the hard surface she was bound to. Is there anything from her old life that she was going to be able to hold on to?

"Any idea who SAMCRO pissed off this time?" Tara asked. Marissa sighed as she told Tara about the conversation she had with the boys about some possible Mexican problems mixed in with Hale's latest scheme. Tara groaned when Marissa was finished.

"What are we supposed to do now?"

"I'm assuming if they wanted to kill us, they would have done it by now. They are probably holding us for some sort of ransom or some shit. We just got wait this out." Both Marissa and Tara stared at the door as each tried to come up with a plan that allowed them to get out alive.

"So basically our lives are in the hands of Piney, Tig and Kozik?" Tara asked with disbelief.

"Yup." Marissa answered knowing how insane it sounded. Piney was barely getting around without much trouble and Tig and Kozik couldn't stop fighting long enough to barely wipe their own asses. Tara seemed to take the thoughts right from Marissa's head.

"Why do I feel like this is going to turn into a fucked-up episode of The Three Stooges?"

* * *

><p>Piney hung up the phone and fought the urge to throw the small device across the room. He limped out to the garage where Kozik and Tig were working. He was already dreading relaying this news, especially to Tig. Piney knew Tig was going to have a bitch fit.<p>

"Uh, looks like we got some trouble boys." Kozik and Tig walked away from their respective cars and walked towards the older man.

"What's up old man?" Piney sighed deeply, not really knowing how to start the conversation.

"Just got a call from Salazar. He wants us to kill Alvarez and still 250k from some safe."

"Why in the shit would we do something like that?" Tig asked angrily. He was not one to be given demands by anyone.

"Because…because he is holding Marissa and Tara hostage."

"WHAT?" Kozik and Tig exclaimed in unison. Tig pulled out his cell phone and immediately dialed Marissa's number. He cursed when it went straight to voicemail.

"Are we sure that this Salazar prick isn't lying?" Tig asked, even as his stomach dropped. All three men looked up as Unser pulled into the parking lot and stepped out the car.

"What's up Unser?"

"A call came in. They found Marissa's car totaled off of Interstate 5. The whole front end has been destroyed."

"Were they in the car?" Kozik asked. Unser shook his head.

"There was no one in the car…but we found traces of blood on the front seat." Tig kicked a tire.

"SHIT! What the hell are we going to do?"

"Should we call Jax?" Piney asked. Tig shook his head.

"The last thing Jax needs to know is his old lady has been kidnapped while he's trying to find his kidnapped son." Kozik pulled out his cell phone.

"I'm going to call Happy." Tig grabbed the phone from the blonde man's hand.

"The hell you will. You really wanna tell Happy, the man with such a sparkling and non-violent personality that HIS old lady has been kidnapped just months after she got beat to shit and lost a baby. Are you out of your damn mind, moron?" Tig started pacing the lot as he tried to think.

"We gotta go talk to Alvarez."

"And say what? Can you please let us kill you to save two women so that we don't get killed when our brothers come back?" Kozik asked sarcastically. Piney fixed his oxygen mask.

"What if Alvarez doesn't have to die?" Tig looked incredulously at the old man.

"You just said…"

"I know what I said. Salazar just needs to believe that Alvarez is dead. Once he gets confirmation and gets the money, he'll let the girls go."

"So we basically have to convince Alvarez to fake his own death, pull 250 grand out of our ass and get the girls back?" Piney nodded and Tig rolled his eyes. "You forgot one thing."

"What's that?"

"Marissa is a hell cat. Do we really believe that she is going to sit around and wait to be rescued? If I know that woman, she is plotting on a way to make shit even more complicated."

* * *

><p>"If we survive this, I'm keeping the baby." Tara stated after nearly 20 minutes of silence. Salazar and his girl came in the room earlier to inform them they had contacted the boys. Salazar never said what he demanded but he did say that the women's lives were on a ticking time schedule. Marissa looked over at Tara.<p>

"Being kidnapped has a way of changing someone's mind."

"How can you be so calm right now?" Tara questioned.

"Almost dying a few dozen times make it easier to deal with this shit." Marissa responded. Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears. She had been sitting and thinking about the direction of her life. While Tara was dreaming of starting a family with Jax, Marissa was thinking about what the hell she was doing with Happy. Since they got together, they had spent more time apart than they had spent together.

She knew she loved him and she knew he loved her but is that really enough? She had thought she was done with the life of crime and mayhem when her ex died but ever since she landed in Charming, the drama seemed to be constant and never ending. Everyone always commended Marissa for her ability to handle situations with little to no emotion but no one seemed to know the inner turmoil that had been plaguing her since the loss of her child.

Her antics had seemed to be riskier, as if she no longer gave any consideration to her own welfare. This was becoming more apparent as she had spent the time in the locked attic slowly trying to untie the ropes around her wrist. She wanted Tara out of her that much Marissa was sure of. She wanted Tara to have a chance at a real family and if Marissa had to die to make sure that happened, she was okay with it.

They both looked up as the girlfriend from earlier walked in the room by herself and shut the door behind her. Marissa inwardly smiled as she realized the woman was going to make this easier.

"It seems as though the Sons have come through with their part of the deal. You two must mean an awful lot to them." Marissa watched as the woman walked closer to her. When the woman knelt down to get in Marissa's face, it gave the Latina the perfect time to react. Before anyone could blink, Marissa had used the broken piece of glass she found to free herself and stabbed the woman in the neck. She watched as the women instantly hit the ground and struggle to breath.

Marissa jumped up and untied Tara who sat in a state of shock. "What do we do?"

"We get the hell out of here now. Come on Tara." Marissa pulled her friend up and they headed for the door. The second the door was open, they ran right into Salazar. Marissa felt Tara start to shake behind her. Salazar looked at his girlfriend and his eyes went murderous.

"I can save her." Marissa spoke with conviction. "I can save your girl's life on one condition. You let Tara go."

"Marissa, no." Tara pleaded.

"Why should I believe you?" Salazar asked as he pointed a gun in Marissa's face.

"Because you can kill me if something goes wrong. Tara is pregnant, let her go and I will save your girlfriend. But if I were you, I would make the decision quickly because the longer you wait; there is more of a chance that she is going to die on that floor." Salazar looked at both women before looking at his girlfriend on the floor.

"Leave now." He told Tara. Tara tried to protest but one look from Marissa made her run out of the room. Tara ran as fast as her legs could carry her to get to the nearest phone and call someone. Marissa turned back to Salazar.

"Get her in the car. I'm going to try to control the bleeding until we can get to the hospital. Let's go." Marissa knew in her heart that there was no way this woman was going to survive and there was a very good chance she was going to die, but she would be damned if she let something happen to Tara.

Salazar drove like a man possessed. Marissa was in the back seat as she was trying desperately to not let Salazar know that his girlfriend had died minutes ago. She was hoping that he wouldn't figure it out until they were at least in a public place that allowed her the chance to escape. She removed her eyes from the woman when she noticed that the car was starting to slow down. She cursed softly when she realized that they pulled into an empty lot. Salazar pulled Marissa out of the car by her hair.

"You bitch! She's dead, isn't she? She's fucking dead and you killed her!" Marissa winced when she felt the back of her head hit the hood of the car. Salazar took his gun and smacked Marissa across the face and she felt her teeth rattle. She looked with dazed eyes as he took the safety off the gun and pointed it directly at her head. Marissa closed her eyes and prepared for the end.

* * *

><p>Tig, Piney and Kozik rushed their bikes into the shopping center that Tara had directed them to. She was crying hysterically and shaking uncontrollably. Piney reached her and pulled her in for a hug.<p>

"Where the hell is Marissa?" Tig wanted to know.

"She made a deal for my freedom. She stabbed the girlfriend and said that she could save her life if he let me go, so he did." Tara wiped the tears with the back of her hand. "There is no way that woman survived that stabbing and Marissa knew it. He's going to kill her. Marissa gave up her life for me."

"DAMN IT!" The three men looked at each other and Tig slowly pulled out his cell phone.

"Hey Tigger. We should be leaving here soon." Bobby answered his phone.

"Elvis, is Happy with you?" Tig asked in one of the most somber voices he had ever had.

"Yeah, he's in the other room."

"I need you to put him on the phone." Bobby told him to hold on and a few minutes later, Happy's distinctive voice flooded the phone.

"What's up brother?"

"Happy, I don't know how to tell you this man. Salazar kidnapped Tara and Marissa."

"What the fuck are you talking about? Are they alright?" Tig could hear voices in the background as they wondered what was wrong with the Killer.

"He let Tara go, she's fine. Tara said that Marissa sacrificed herself to save Tara…..Hap, Tara seems to think that he's going to kill Marissa."

"I trusted you to keep her fucking safe!"

"I tried man. Shit wasn't easy with only three of us. We are trying to find her but you need to get on the first thing smoking right away." Tig heard some commotion in the background before Gemma got on the phone.

"We just got Abel; we are on our way home." Gemma hung the phone and Tig prayed that they could find Marissa before it was too late because if Happy came home and Marissa was dead, it was safe to say that Tig would be next.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: This is a filler chapter so it doesn't have a whole lot going on. I apologize for the lack of updates but my cold medicine makes my muse turn off. I hope to get better soon and start posting chapters in a quicker manner. Thank you all for your reviews, alerts, etc. They make me want to work harder._

* * *

><p>The commotion in Saint Thomas Hospital was unmistakable as the group ran through the front doors. Gemma had called Tig when they landed and the Sergeant informed the gang that they were at the hospital because Tara had admitted herself to run some tests. Tig had no idea what was going on. When they reached the hospital, Piney told everyone that Tig was at the police station working with Unser on trying to find Marissa. They had been no signs of her since she had Salazar let Tara go.<p>

Happy had remained quiet for the duration of the trip and while everyone was going crazy trying to pounce theories off of each other, he quietly stepped out of the hospital and got on his bike. The drive to the police station was short and he parked his bike next to Tig's and waited. When he saw the blue eyed man step out of the front doors, his rage became almost uncontrollable.

"Brother…" Tig started to say but the right jab to his jaw stopped him quickly in his tracks. Tig stumbled back but didn't make a move to retaliate. He knew that he deserved this. He had let his brother done. He promised to watch Marissa with his life and now there was a chance that there was no longer a life to watch. Tig closed his eyes and waited for the next blow but it never came. After a few moments, Tig slowly opened up his eyes.

"That's it?" Happy's eyes were locked on Tig's as his fists clenched. Deep down, Happy knew that this wasn't Tig's fault. It wasn't anyone's fault, but all Happy could think was that this was the second time in a few months that the woman he loved was in danger and just like the last time, he had no fucking clue how to deal with this.

Happy sat down on a parking curb and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it in silence while Tig's boots came into view.

"Unser said he thinks Hale is behind this. Hale was the one that got Salazar released."

"What does Marissa and Tara have to do with anything?" Tig shrugged.

"Most of the guys out of town, I guess he thought they would make an easy target." Tig laid a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We are going to find her, man." Happy snorted as he let the smoke invade his lungs.

"She's pushing her luck on her nine lives, don't cha think?" Tig laughed slightly.

"That hellcat? I wouldn't be surprised if she outlives us all."

* * *

><p>"We had to sedate Dr. Knowles for her own safety."<p>

"What the hell is going on? Why is she here?" Jax demanded to know. From what he had gathered, Tara was released unharmed.

"She wouldn't stop crying and her stress levels were reaching a dangerous status. We thought that it was best considering her current situation that we would give her a mild sedative in hopes of calming her down."

"Condition? What condition?" The doctor furrowed his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry sir, but that is confidential. I can take you to the room if you would like to see her." Jax handed Abel over to his mother as he followed the doctor down the corridor. Stepping inside the room, Jax noticed the tear stains that still lay on Tara's cheek. He brushed a stand of her dark bangs and watched as her eyes started to flutter open.

"Hey." Jax smiled softly as he grabbed her hand. "Why are you in the hospital, Tara?"

"Abel?" Tara needed to know about the little boy before she dropped the bombshell on her boyfriend.

"He's perfect. He's out in the waiting room with Ma right now. Now what happened?"

"Marissa?" Tara asked, ignoring Jax's question. She watched the look of regret sweep Jax's eyes.

"We haven't heard anything yet. Tig went to go talk to Unser and see what can be done." The tears came fast down Tara's face.

"She did it for me. That dumb hardheaded bitch is going to get herself killed for me."

"Tara, what happened?" Jax demanded to know, trying desperately to make her focus. They both turned towards the door as a doctor walked into the room.

"Hi Dr. Knowles. My name is Dr. Chang and I am here to give you an ultrasound."

"Ultrasound?" Jax asked being more confused than before. Tara squeezed his hand.

"Jax, I'm pregnant. That's why Marissa made sure that I could get away." Jax was confused on how he should feel. On one hand, the thought of Tara carrying his baby filled him with joy but he couldn't fully celebrate knowing that Marissa was out there somewhere possibly hurt. Jax kissed Tara's forehead and grasped her hand as the doctor started to put the gel on her belly.

* * *

><p>"I need a plan." Salazar said to himself as he paced Jacob Hale's office.<p>

"That's obvious." Marissa remarked sarcastically from her corner. She was really getting sick and tired of being a man's play thing. First it was Anthony, now this Mexican psycho. She looked over at Hale who had been scared shitless when the pair had barreled in his office a few hours earlier.

Marissa touched her sore cheek and knew without looking that there was a massive bruise on her cheek from being smacked in the face with a gun. She had bruises up and down her arms from being manhandled but he had yet to truly hurt her.

"You are going to call the police and give them my list of demands." Marissa snorted. This asshole had obviously seen one too many movies over the years.

"Why do you think the police are going to cooperate with you?"

"Because if they don't I'll kill both of you." Hale seemed to find his voice.

"That won't be necessary. I am more than confident that we can come up with a solution where no one has to die." Salazar punches Hale in the face.

"SHUT UP!" He pushes Marissa towards the phone. "Call the police and tell them that I want a safe flight to Tecate, Mexico in exchange for Hale." Marissa picks up the phone and slowly dials the Charming Police.

"May I speak to Chief Unser please?" Marissa couldn't help but notice that Salazar said nothing about what he would exchange for her freedom. She heard Wayne on the other end of the phone as he answered.

"Wayne, its Marissa. Salazar is holding me and Jacob Hale hostage and he says that he has some demands." She nodded her head as she listened to Wayne talk in the background. "He wants to get a safe ride to Tecate, Mexico and he will release Hale." She nodded again as she continued to listen. She turned back to Salazar.

"Unser wants to know about me. What do you need to release me?" Salazar paused as he hadn't fully thought out this plan.

"Who's your old man?"

"Happy." Salazar grabbed the phone roughly from Marissa's grasp.

"I want Jax. If anyone wants to see the girl alive again, you will send Jax to me." Salazar hung up the phone and pointed the gun back towards Marissa.

"You better pray that they give a shit about you, sweetheart."

* * *

><p>"You don't have to do this, brother." Happy said as Jax put on his bulletproof vest and threw his white tee shirt over it. They were standing in Jax's dorm room after Unser had told the club of Salazar's demands. Jax didn't even hesitate as he left with Gemma with Tara and started to make plans. Happy was angry that this asshole had the gall to even make demands and he wanted to be the one to slice the motherfucker open but he also understood that Jax's name carried more weight.<p>

"It's not even a question. Rissa is my little sister and she saved Tara and my unborn child. I will kill this asshole, Hap, I give you my word." Hap nodded. He knew that Jax would do everything in his power to bring Marissa home and Happy had to hold on to that because there was nothing else he could do.

The brothers shared a hug before Jax walked out the dorm room. Happy walked outside to the bar and sat down on a stool. A few minutes later, Tig sat down next to him. The pair sat in silence as one by one, each member took a quiet seat on the bar as they waited to receive some news.


	11. Chapter 11

Marissa stood in the bathroom of Happy's dorm at the clubhouse. It was close to midnight and she was mentally exhausted. Jax had arrived at Hale's office and after a lot of blood had been shed, Salazar was dead and Marissa found herself free. She argued with the cops that she did not want to go to the hospital. All she really wanted to do was go home, take a shower, pop some sleeping pills and wake up the following year. But she was also dying to see Happy so she asked the cops to drop her off at the clubhouse.

When she walked in and saw everyone's face filled with glee, she felt overwhelmed. She avoided being enveloped in any hugs or well wishes. Instead, she walked past everyone and went straight into Happy's bathroom. She closed the door and opened the small window as she felt herself be able to finally breathe. She knew that she was the epitome of strength to the guys but everyone, including her, had a breaking point and she felt as though she was starting to reach hers.

She sat down on the toilet and put her head between her legs as she focused on her breathing pattern. In and out. In and out. She felt herself start to get dizzy so she placed her head back up. Slowly she stood and faced the mirror that hung above the sink. She slowly observed the dry patches of blood that was all over her face and other visible parts of her body. She had no idea whose blood belonged to whom. Some was the girlfriends, Jax's, Salazar's and her own. She gently touched the bruise that took up most of the right side of her face. Marissa remembered in Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts told Richard Gere:

"_Why do guys always know how to hit a woman? Right across the cheek, wham, so it feels like your eye is gonna explode. What do they do, take you all aside in high school and show you how?"_

Considering how many times she had been hit in the face over the past year or so, she was starting to believe that all boys were indeed taught this lesson between masturbation and sports. She sighed as she tried to figure out what kind of woman she was becoming. She looked backwards when she heard the bathroom door creak open and she was preparing to tell Gemma that she was fine but she was surprised to find Happy walk in the room, a bag in his hand.

"Gemma ran to the house and got some stuff for you. Everyone is waiting for you out there."

"Tell them I'm fine and I will talk to them tomorrow." Happy reached out and gently rubbed Marissa's cheek. He couldn't help but be enraged that she flinched at his touch. He knew deep down that it wasn't him, but it didn't sting any less. He held her hand as he pulled her towards the shower and turned it on. She stood motionless, just content with watching him.

He checked the water and grabbed some supplies from the bag and placed them in the shower before quickly removing his clothing. He wordlessly sat Marissa down on the toilet and he bent down to remove her shoes and socks. He grabbed her hands and pulled her back up as he unbuttoned her jeans and gently pulled them down her legs along with her underwear. His calloused hands grazed her stomach as he pulled the bloody t-shirt from her upper body and he kissed both of her shoulders before her bra fell to the floor. He opened the shower curtain and they both stepped in.

Marissa stood under the hot water and watched the clear liquid turned a light red from the blood. She felt herself start to shake but refused to cry. She dipped her head back and closed her eyes. She felt Happy grip her hips and turn her around so that her back was against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her as she placed her head in the crook of his neck. Eventually they both got clean and changed their clothes. Marissa grabbed Happy's hand before he could walk out the bathroom.

"Can you please take me somewhere? Anywhere that's not here." Happy nodded and continued to hold her hand as they walked into the main room. Marissa made eye contact with Jax, who she had been able to avoid up until this point. After everything had went down, Jax had to go to the police station and fill out some paperwork before he went back to the hospital to check on Tara. Jax walked towards the couple and addressed Happy.

"Can you give us a minute bro?" Happy looked down at Marissa who briefly nodded her head. Happy kissed Marissa on the forehead before telling her that he will be waiting outside. Marissa kept her eyes down and seemed to rock on her heels while waiting for Jax to speak first. She gasped lightly when Jax grabbed Marissa and pulled her in for a tight hug. Marissa wanted to tell Jax that he was hurting her but she knew that he needed this and if she was honest, the hug did feel nice.

"I can never thank you enough Rissa."

"She's my family too, Jax. There is no way that I am going to let something happen to her if I can help it." Jax ran a hand over his long locks.

"There is no way either one of us would have been able to forgive ourselves if something happened to you." Marissa shrugged.

"She has one baby in her stomach, one at home and you. When it comes down to me or Tara, I will always take the bullet for her. She has a family to get home to."

"We're your family too, Rissa." Marissa sighed. She didn't really know how to express what she was feeling without offending anyone.

"I know Jax. It's just…different." Marissa looked towards the door, desperately trying to stop this conversation as it has now turned awkward. "I gotta go. Happy's waiting for me." Marissa kissed Jax's cheek and practically ran out the door.

* * *

><p>2 hours later, Marissa couldn't stop the smile from hitting her mouth when she saw where Happy had taken them to. They were at the same private beach where he had brought her after everyone found out about Gemma's rape. She gently got off the bike and followed Happy's lead. She didn't care that it was nearing 4 in the morning or that she was in so much pain, both physically and mentally that she felt like she may collapse. She was finally get some alone time with her man and nothing and no one was going to prevent her from enjoying this rare moment.<p>

She plopped down on the sand and Happy sat behind her. She leaned back into him as his arms encircled her. There were no words needed as she placed her head in the inside of his arm. They sat in silence and watched the waves coming off the ocean.

"Are you alright and don't fucking lie to me." Marissa couldn't help but smirk. Leave it to her man to be both concerned and menacing in the same sentence.

"I'm…" Marissa stopped as she tried to finds the right words to express the whirlwind that was going in her head. "I'm tired, Hap. I'm so fucking tired. It has been a constant clusterfuck of drama and I'm just ready for a break."

"That's not what I mean." Marissa raised an eyebrow unsure of where Hap was going with this. "You killed someone, got pistol whipped, kidnapped and almost died in one day. That has to bother you." Happy knew what he was to the club and him killing someone was as easy for him as putting on a tee shirt but he also knew that he was the exception, not the rule.

He had been with Marissa long enough to know that the girl was a damn locked box when it came to her feelings but he was her old man. He needed to be let in to those places that no one else had access to. He made it a point to try and be more open with her, and while it damn near killed him to talk about feelings and shit, Marissa was worth it.

"I made the right choice." Marissa said as if it was no big deal and her nonchalant attitude was pissing Happy off.

"When you making that choice, did you think about me? About us?" Marissa moved out of Happy's grasp and turned around so that she was facing him.

"Tara has a family, Happy. She is pregnant. How selfish would I be if I didn't try my best to save their lives?"

"YOU are MY family. You, my ma and this club is all I have, Marissa." Marissa lowered her eyes as if she was just scolded by a teacher. To be honest, she hadn't thought about anything in her own life. She was just focused on getting Tara the hell out of there. Even though Tara was starting to become a good old lady, Marissa still had more years of experience when it came to dealing with certain things. Happy grasped Marissa's chin and forced her to look at him.

"You don't think you're worth it, do ya? You think that Tara's life has more value. Why? Cause she got kids? I don't fucking get it Marissa."

"Jesus, Hap. Will you just let this shit go? Tara and the baby are fine, I'm here, everything is alright." Happy adverted his eyes and Marissa felt her heart drop to her stomach.

"It's not over, is it?" Marissa could feel her throat tightening up and she willed herself not to lash out. "What's going on? Abel is home, Salazar is dead. What the hell is going on now, Happy?" Happy growled to himself. He wanted to tell her about the issues they still had with the Irish and the deal that was currently in the works. He promised her to tell her everything but now that he was looking in her hazel eyes after everything that happened, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't possible give her anymore bad information; at least not right now.

"Nothing, reina. Nothing is going on." Happy pulled Marissa in for a hug and as she laid her head on his heart, Marissa couldn't help but feel that Happy was lying to her.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: This chapter has sexual content._

* * *

><p>The following morning Marissa heard her cell phone ringing. She tried to untangle herself from Happy's arms as she cursed the fact that her cell seemed to be all the way across the room. She made it to the phone right before it went to voicemail.<p>

"Hello?" Marissa tried to clear her throat but the exhaustion was evident.

"How are you feeling baby girl?" Clay's distinctive voice came out over the phone. Marissa automatically felt her spine straighten. An early in the morning phone call from the President himself couldn't possible be a good thing.

"Much better. What's up?" Marissa wanted to get to the bottom of things has fast as possible.

"Tell Hap we are closing down the shop for the rest of the week. Figure we could all use some time with our loved ones." The idea seemed so unlike Clay that Marissa was too stunned to even ask any questions. She simply agreed and hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Marissa turned towards Happy with a shocked look on her face and the cell phone still in her hand.

"Clay. Apparently the garage is closed the rest of the week." Happy reached over his nightstand and grabbed his phone. He was curious as to why Clay didn't just call him. He got his answer when he looked at his phone and noticed that the battery was dead. He put the phone back down and patted the bed next to him. Marissa slowly climbed back in the bed and let Happy put his arm around her waist.

"Go back to sleep." Happy's raspy voice tickled Marissa's ear as she begun to close her eyes.

A few hours later, Marissa was cursing at her reflection as she was failing miserably at being able to hide the massive bruise on her face. Although she did manage to add a new mark on her face when her distraction had led to a burn on her forehead courtesy of her curling iron. She threw another makeup brush down and grabbed the wet cloth next to the sink. She looked up and saw Happy leaning against the door frame, simply watching her.

"There is no way I can go visit your mom today Hap."

"Why not?" Marissa turned and looked at Happy like he had 24 heads. She pointed to her face.

"Because there is no way for me to cover this up and I really don't know how to explain it to Miriam. It's not exactly the kind of mark that a lie can be used to cover it up." Marissa sighed with frustration. "Just go see your mom, Hap. I will be fine. I will go to the hospital to see Tara and then go straight to the clubhouse." She added in the last part as she knew he was going to protest her being by herself. Happy seemed to consider his options before nodding and agreeing to Marissa's plan. She waited until she heard the bike peel out of the driveway before she leaned against the sink.

"Thank God." She muttered to herself.

* * *

><p>"Hey boys." Marissa said as she walked inside the clubhouse a few hours later. She smiled and hugged Piney before doing the same to Chibs. She had gone to the hospital to spend some time with Tara and was delighted to see Jax there. Apparently being pregnant and kidnapped has magical healing powers. It makes women forget about their men being a shitbag and fucking a gash.<p>

She reassured Tara and Jax again that she was alright. She was tired of the grateful eyes and constant praise. She was not some type of goddamn hero and she was tired of people perceiving her as one. She went behind the bar and grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels. She poured a generous amount in a glass before sitting at the bar. She lit a cigarette and turned to face Piney who was staring at her intently. She was starting to become nervous.

"What?" She asked. Piney took a sip of tequila.

"You've been through hell lately princess; just want to make sure you're alright."

"I'm fine." Marissa took a big gulp of the whiskey.

"Maybe you should think about giving up this life." Marissa turned sharply towards Piney as if he lost his mind. "Move away from here, met a nice man, settle down…"

"And be miserable for the rest of my life? No thank you. I have no desire to bake apple pies while my accountant husband plays catch in the backyard with the kids. Can you imagine me living in the suburbs, going to Mommy and me classes while telling them about that time in my life where I walked on the bad side?"

"You deserve better than this life. You deserve more than black eyes, being kidnapped and damn near constantly fighting for your life."

"This life is all I know and all I want to know. My hands were dirty years before I ever set foot in Charming." Marissa poured herself some more whiskey before continuing. "Besides, you are a founding member of this club. One of the first nine. This club is your life, why the hell would you be telling me to leave this?"

"Because I know first hand what this life can do to you. Especially a woman in this life. Gemma is the exception, not the rule. Women in this life have it real fucking hard. Many of them bury their old men years before their time. The danger, prison visits, drama…that shit never goes away. You telling me that you really wanna stay here?"

"I love him. I love him enough to deal with all of this so yea, I wanna stay here." Piney grabbed his oxygen tank and kissed Marissa on the forehead.

"Don't let that love get you killed princess." Marissa sighed deeply as she poured more liquor as she watched Piney head towards the back.

"Nice dent in the bottle Hurricane." Marissa turned her head to look at a grinning Tig.

"You don't get to judge." Tig grabbed the bottle and took a swig before setting it back down.

"Where's Happy?"

"At his mother's."

"Why didn't you go?" Marissa simply pointed at her face. "You alright?" Marissa slammed her glass on the bar.

"Jesus fuck, I am fine! I really wish people would stop treating me like I'm made of porcelain or some shit." Tig lifted both of his hands.

"It was just a question. Maybe I should take the bottle from you."

"I'm not drunk, I'm fucking agitated. I'm fine. I'm always fine and will continue to be fine as long as everyone stops asking me how the fuck I'm doing." Marissa grabbed her purse. "Fuck this. I'm going home."

* * *

><p>"Thought you were going to stay at the clubhouse?" Marissa looked up from her spot on the floor of her relaxation room to see Happy.<p>

"Wanted to come home." Marissa turned her eyes back towards the book she was reading. "How's your mom?"

"Okay. The new round of meds seem to be treating her good. She sends her love." Marissa nodded before shutting her book and standing up to stretch.

"You got club business tonight?"

"Nah." Marissa took her hair out of its ponytail and shook her long hair out. She walked towards the bedroom and turned towards Hap.

"You are keeping something from me and I wanna know what it is. I told you before that I have no problem walking beside you but I can't do it blind. Put aside all the shit that happened yesterday. If there is something going on, I need to know." Happy crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's nothing that you need to worry about now." Marissa grabbed her hair with frustration.

"I always worry Happy. There is never a time of the fucking day when I'm not worried. The only thing that makes me worry more is when I'm in the dark on shit."

"The Irish problem isn't over yet." He leveled Marissa with a look that said she needed to drop it for right now. Marissa sighed but didn't say anything. She moved her right hip slightly and Happy got a peek of her tanned skin poking out of her tank top.

Something dark flared in his eyes, and she hardly knew what happened before she was flush against him, her hands held tightly behind her back, and his mouth crushed possessively against hers. The force of his kiss bordered on terrifying, and she felt arousal begin to spread from deep within her. Her own dark need to fulfill him, to give herself to him, even in this mood. His hands gripped her wrists hard, and she knew there'd be faint bruises on them tomorrow, but she didn't care. Her breasts were pushed forward, crushed against his chest, and his tongue was hungrily demanding entrance into her mouth. She granted it without question, moaning helplessly as he sucked her lower lip possessively, his tongue battling with hers.

His body pressed hers backward, and she was vaguely aware of her feet struggling to keep her upright until the hardness of the dresser pressed into her back, stopping his motion. She struggled for a moment, trying to free her wrists, but it was futile. He had them trapped in one large hand now, his other hand cupping her head to deepen the kiss. Impossibly. She whimpered under him, the hardness surrounding her and overwhelming her.

Without a doubt, she knew that her wrists would not be free. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if he found some rope before they were done. He was in control tonight, and the only measure she had was to say no. To stop it all together. And she loved it. That part of her, buried deep, thrilled to him like this. Hot, hard, demanding, and leaving her powerless to resist. Powerless to set the terms of their union.

She cried out, bereft, as his lips left hers, he set her hands on the dresser and stepped back, depriving her of that contact. He turned to the door, flipping the lock casually before looking at her, desire clear in his eyes. Happy wasn't sure if club business was going to come up but they would damn sure have to wait until he was finished.

She didn't move a muscle, her eyes instead fixed on him as he yanked the shirt over his head. Her lips parted slightly at the sight of those muscles, clear and well-defined, and ever so tempting in the moonlight. He unbuttoned his pants, dropping them and shuffling off his shoes as he neared her, watching her silently.

Her body quivered, and she looked down as he found the hem of her shirt. Large hands slid underneath, skimming over her skin until they reached her breasts, thrust towards him by her stance. He slid one leg between hers, pushing them wider until she straddled his thigh. Her body throbbed with anticipation and desire, his name at the tip of her tongue. And still she didn't speak. Only waited for his cue and cried out when he brushed her nipples and then pinched them hard.

A jolt of electricity ran through her, arching through her body, and she drew in a deep shuddering breath. "You like it rough, don't you." She looked up, biting her lip and he groaned, his hands cupping her breasts and squeezing. "Mine," he whispered harshly. She trembled at the possession in his tone, her body reaching for more, arching into his hands. "Do you want me?" His voice was taunting, almost teasing. Of course she wanted him. Her dark pebbled nipples should be proof of that. The thigh between her legs lifted until she was pressed against him, riding his leg. "You're wet for me." She groaned at the desire in his voice.

"I love you," she ventured. She hadn't said it since that night they discussed the loss of their child. She had no problem admitting her love for Happy to others but there was something about saying it to him that Marissa always struggled with.

An indefinable emotion swirled in his eyes and he bent his head, his mouth attacking the pulse point in her neck. "Oh!" He sucked at the soft skin hard, and she knew that her hair would be left down for a week. Every suck of his mouth sent her spiraling higher, and she almost fell apart when one hand slipped between her legs, shoving the panties aside and thrusting roughly inside her.

He picked up his pace, lifting her until she sat on the dresser, her legs dangling from the edge. It was a good thing he locked the door. Anyone who walked in would have been met with quite a sight. She still leaned back on her wrists, pressed tightly together behind her, and Happy overwhelmed her, sucking on her neck, one hand groping her breast as the other worked between wide-spread legs. She gasped in shock as she heard the panties tear at the crotch, and she felt him step closer, his thick length pressing against her clit. "Please." He shook his head, simply pressing against her, stimulating her even further until she was shaking with need.

"Wait." She groaned, panting hard to hold back her orgasm when he hauled her off the dresser, turning her around and pressing her down until her weight pressed into her elbows. He reached forward with one hand, trapping her wrists together, his body keeping her down as he teased her again.

"Happy, please!" She was nearly sobbing, and he finally thrust forward, filling her completely and reveling in the scream that tore from her throat. Her head dropped as she arched her back, trying to get closer. Fire was spreading through her, and she felt a familiar pressure building in her womb, aching, needing fulfillment. She tried to press against the dresser, hoping it would help, but his free hand slid around, his fingers finding her clit quickly.

"Please what?" he whispered into her ear. She turned her head, her eyes meeting his and seeing the arrogance there tempered by something else. God, just looking at him made it worse. Made the ache unbearable.

"I need to come. Make me come. Please." Her head dropped as he drove into her harder, his fingers beginning to work the folds between her legs, circling her clit harder, faster, until she felt her world begin to spiral out of control.

"Come, Marissa." His voice was husky and commanding, and it pushed her over the edge, flying into oblivion, screaming his name until she came down, her throat raspy, and her mind vaguely aware of his own voice calling to her, his seed spilling into her, and his hips grinding into her, prolonging the orgasm.

He collapsed on top of her moments later, his hand still wrapped around her wrists, his cock still buried deep inside of her, and now, finally sated, she realized what she'd said. She remembered just how far out of control she'd been, and her heart began to hammer as fear choked her. They were not emotionally people by nature and even though she had admitted once that she loved him, Marissa was not trying to make it a habit.

Tears sprang to her eyes as he pulled out, his hand releasing hers, and she covered her face, forcing herself to regain her composure. She could feel his chest heave as he pulled her up, his arms surrounding her, the warmth of his body searing her skin. Without even looking, she knew that he'd pulled his boxers back up. With the mood he'd been in, he probably had simply shoved them down far enough to free his erection before plunging into her. She couldn't turn her head, couldn't look at him for fear of what she'd see there.

A soft sniff tore from her as he kissed her hair, and she felt him stiffen. "Rissa?" He turned her, and she resisted initially, too afraid of seeing cold indifference. His hands were gentle this time, nowhere near the bruising touch of their mating, and he pulled her around, tilting her chin up to look at him. "Fuck." A tear slipped down her cheek and he brushed it away, leaning down to kiss the moisture from her skin.

She pushed Happy gently before sitting at the edge of the bed, flipping on the lamp, letting the warm light wash over her. Reassure her. Her heels dug for the separation between the mattress and the frame, and her arms circled around her knees, bringing them close to her chest as she stared, nervous and shaky, at the wall.

It wasn't until he knelt in front of her, his hands curling gently around her ankles, that she noticed him. "Relax," he soothed softly. She forced herself to listen, allowing him to pull her feet to the floor and spread her legs gently. He reached for her hands, kissing each bruised wrist gently.

She knew she was exposed to him now, but all he did was press a kiss to the inside of her knee before lifting her legs to rest on the bed and drawing the blanket over her. He shut off the light before climbing into the other side and wrapping an arm around her. "I'm sorry," he whispered, kissing her shoulder. "I didn't mean to hurt you or scare you. God, I'm sorry." She shook her head, her body trembling in his embrace.

"It's not that," she whispered softly. He frowned as he pulled her around to face him, needing to see her eyes. She looked up. "I… If it's not… I mean…" He stared at her, and then it hit him. He remembered. _I love you._The three words that had only spurred his arousal higher. That had filled a part of his heart that had felt empty for too long. He reached up, brushing the hair out of her eyes.

"I love you," he whispered intensely, watching her eyes widen. A smile crossed her lips, and she leaned in, burying her head against his chest, finally releasing the breath that had caught the minute she'd come down from her orgasm. "I know that you love me. I don't need for you to ever feel embarrassed for telling me." Marissa softly smiled as she closed her eyes and allowed sleep to overtake her body.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: This chapter contains sexual content._

* * *

><p>Marissa smiled when she opened up her door. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite fugitive." She stepped back to allow Gemma in the house and hugged the older woman tightly.<p>

"Is it a good time?" Marissa noticed that Gemma seemed a bit on edge.

"Yeah. I think the events of the past few weeks have finally caught up to Hap so he's knocked out. How about I pour us some coffee and we can sit on the patio?" Marissa sensed that Gemma needed to talk and she wanted some privacy. Marissa grabbed everything the women needed and headed out back.

"How's everything?" Gemma asked.

"Better. I was a little…out of it, but I'm good now. How about you?"

"Abel's home and all that matters." Gemma poured some cream in her coffee and started to stir the contents.

"What about your charges? Shit can't be easy after you skipped town."

"I'm trying to get a deal cut. My lawyer says the whole "concerned grandmother who would do anything to save her kidnapped grandbaby" may actually work in my favor." Marissa nodded, even though she couldn't imagine any judge or jury buying into Gemma being a sweet old grandma routine.

"There is a party at the clubhouse." Gemma announced and Marissa rolled her eyes. _Of course there is. _

"What do you need me to do?" Gemma shook her head.

"Nothing baby. Spend some time with your man."

"Gemma, I have learned that 80 percent of this old lady shit is cooking and setting up parties and now you are telling me that you want me to do nothing. What is going on?" Gemma stared in the distance before answering.

"I got a feeling. The kind of feeling that I get when bad shit is getting ready to go down." Marissa was tried of Gemma talking in circles. It seemed to be the same backwards ass conversation that she had with Happy the night before. A whole lot of talk that don't add up to a damn thing. "I just think that it's important for you to get some extra time with you man. Out of all of us, you and Happy have had the shortest relationship and with all the shit going on, you two deserve a little peace." Marissa wanted to argue but knew it was pointless.

"Piney told me to get out of this life." Gemma scoffed.

"Piney is a bitter lonely old man." Marissa asked a question that had been plaguing her for awhile.

"What happened between him and Mary?" Gemma lit a cigarette.

"They got together once Piney came back from overseas. Mary was some kind of hippie so she fit in well when the guys founded the club. Over the years, she changed. She wanted the American dream and Piney was still Piney. She left in the middle of the night when Opie was six and never came back. The bitch broke Piney. He hasn't been the same since, never took on another old lady." Marissa nodded as Piney's words to her the day before started to make sense. Gemma's cell phone rang and she spoke into the speaker for a few minutes before hanging up.

"Old lady duty calls." The women hugged each other. "See ya tomorrow night baby."

* * *

><p>The following night, Marissa climbed off the back of Happy's bike. She was dressed in a leather motorcycle jacket, black tank top, dark jeans and high heeled boots. She smiled when Happy grabbed her hand and she noticed that they were essentially dressed like twins.<p>

They walked into the clubhouse and Marissa took a moment to take it all in. Most of the scene was usual: loud music, tons of liquor flowing and heavy laughter. The only difference was that it seemed tonight's party was reserved for club members and their families only. There wasn't a porn star in sight. Marissa felt a tug at her heart when she saw the three new prospects standing behind the bar. It did make her feel a little better that it was taking three prospects to replace one half-sacked man.

There were hugs and kisses spread around as she was pulled into a corner by Tara who apparently had been released from the hospital.

"How are you holding up mama?" Marissa asked as Tara sipped on a glass of water.

"Good. The doctor says the baby is progressing nicely and Abel is completely healthy. I have my family Rissa and I couldn't be happier." Marissa smiled big. She was truly happy for her best friend. If anyone deserved good things, it was Dr. Tara Knowles. The both turned towards the middle of the clubhouse when the music was cut off.

"Hey. Let me get your attention for a minute." Opie yelled across the room. There was still small conversations taking place before Tig whistled and shut everyone up. Opie grabbed Lyla's hand who seemed to have tears in her eyes. "Lyla and I are getting married."

Marissa and Tara turned to each with their mouths wide open. Neither one was expecting THAT to happen. Marissa saw a flicker of sadness pass Tara's eyes and Marissa wondered if Jax and Tara would ever share that kind of news with the others. They both shook the thoughts from their heads as they walked forward to hug the couple. When Marissa was hugging Lyla, her eyes met Happy's across the room. He winked at her and she smiled.

"You tell her yet?" Tig asked as he stood next to Happy.

"Nah."

"You plan on telling her?"

"Yeah. I just…how the hell do I tell that girl who has gone through so much shit the past two years that I'm getting ready to leave her for 14 months?" The guys had cut a deal for the church incident but they had to deal with Jimmy O first. Happy hadn't told Marissa because he didn't know when it would consider to be a good time. After the Salazar shit and Happy having to go to Belfast, it wasn't like they had spent a lot of one on one time together.

"You worried she's going to leave?" Tig asked as if he could read Happy's mind. Happy turned to look at his brother before looking over as Marissa was laughing and dancing with Chibs.

"I wouldn't blame her."

"She's your old lady, Hap. She knows the rules." Happy took a shot and sighed.

"All she knows is that her life has been a constant rollercoaster of shit for the past two years. I left her for two months, she lost a baby, was kidnapped, held at gunpoint, beaten twice and constantly in danger. Now I'm supposed to look her in the eye, tell her I'm leaving her for fourteen months and expect her to be okay with that."

"I think if Hurricane was going to leave our asses, it would have been long ago. She's not going anywhere but you have to tell her man. We all know first hand what can happen when that girl gets pissed. You want that to be your last memory of her to jerk off to in the joint?" Tig grinned boldly as Happy glared. He put his beer down and made his way over to Marissa and Chibs. He tapped Chibs on the shoulder who grinned at Happy before kissing Marissa's hands and walking away. Marissa raised an eyebrow.

"You don't dance." She reminded him as he placed his hands on her waist and pulled her close.

"We need to talk." Marissa took in the serious look in Happy's eyes and felt fear flood her system. She nodded briefly as she allowed Happy to take her out of the clubhouse. They leaned against a dark SVU that was away from everyone allowing the two to have some privacy. Happy lit a cigarette and the gesture made Marissa do the same.

"What's going on Happy?" He sucked in a deep breath and hoped that she would find a way to understand.

"Remember the church shit that we had to deal with before we went to Belfast?" Marissa nodded. "We had to cut a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Marissa asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the door of the SVU.

"We were looking at doing a ten year bid and that would have been minimum. Instead we are all only going to get fourteen months." Marissa wanted to be excited that he wasn't going to be gone for years but she knew by the tone in his voice that this was far from the end of the story so she waited to fully hear him out.

"And?" Happy looked at Marissa and she groaned. "Come on Happy, I know there is more to this story, just rip the band-aid off."

"We have one last thing to take care of. We should be taken in to custody by tomorrow evening." Marissa felt the breath leave her lungs. She was hurt, angry, livid. She was pretty sure there were not even words yet invented to describe what she was feeling. She leaned her head back on the car and spoke softly.

"Go back to the clubhouse, Happy. I need a moment to myself."

"Marissa…." Marissa held up her hand.

"Please go back to the clubhouse." Happy turned around and started to make his back inside but halfway he stopped. He stalked back towards Marissa and she gasped when she felt his hands grab her wrist.

"Hap…"

"This doesn't make me happy Reina. If this was two years ago, I would have not one doubt about going inside, doing my time and getting out. That was before you. I don't want to leave you. I worry about leaving you here alone but it was the only option." There was so much emotion swimming in his eyes, and her breath caught as his lips claimed hers, his kiss frantic. He clung to her, and she held him close, emotion threatening to overwhelm her. She understood that this was how they communicated best.

"Happy…" Suddenly nothing mattered. All that mattered was them in that moment, holding each other and kissing like they'd never see each other again. She felt lifting her until her legs wound automatically around his waist. He walked her back to the car, and she could feel the cool metal against her back, his mouth pressing hard against hers. She had always loved when he got like this. Just taking control and pressing her up against the wall, or a car door. Her legs tightened around him and she rolled her hips forward, brushing against his hardness and moaning in rapture when she realized just how much he wanted her too.

She was getting wet just from his kiss, and she ground their hips together, enjoying the groan that ripped from deep in his throat and the feeling of him lengthening even more against her sex. Oh to have him inside of her… The thought made her entire body shiver and tremble with need. She tilted her head, deepening their kiss until his tongue was dueling with hers for control. She would lose. She knew it. She relished it. But the fight was always so sweet. They would battle for dominance, and he would slowly, systematically break her down until she was a panting, boneless puddle of need below him.

His mouth left hers, latching onto her jaw, sucking gently before he moved up to her ear and nibbled at her earlobe. She gasped, knowing that he'd already won. He remembered exactly where her weak spots were, and he would use each one to his advantage. Her hands ran across his shoulders, feeling the tight pull of muscle below her fingers, the hard strength of his biceps holding her up. Reaching down, she found the door handle and yanked it hard, pulling the door open. His hands were beginning to move over her, and all that held her up now were his hips, thrusting possessively against hers. He closed a hand over one full breast, his mouth curving into a wicked smile as she arched into him.

His fingers hooked into her tank, pulling it over her head and tossing it into the car. She shivered as the night air hit her bare stomach, and her body arched when his fingers brushed over sensitized skin. His fingers found the clasp of her bra, pulling it off of her before he tossed it aside to join her shirt. "I have had dreams about these breasts." She gasped as stepped to the side, her body hitting the backseat of his car before he crawled over her. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, his fingers continuing their path up and down her sides. "Your skin is so soft." Happy was making a mental image of every part of Marissa's body. He was going to need it to pass the time.

He kissed a trail down to her breast, leaving her skin glistening and rosy with arousal. His tongue licked a path around the base, sending a spike of pleasure straight to her sex. Her entire body throbbed with desire for him, and she felt herself get wetter by the minute. When he finally closed his mouth over her nipple, her body arched off of the seat, a scream ripping from her throat as pleasure burst through her.

Her chest heaved with effort. It had been a small orgasm, but it left her breathless, and she didn't know how much more she could take before she fell over the edge again. He continued to suckle her, lapping at her greedily as his fingers worked to strip them both of their jeans. She finally had him naked between her legs, and she moaned with disappointment when he sat up, breaking their contact to rid himself of the black t-shirt, and toss their clothes on the ground along with their shoes. There was nothing separating them. Nothing except the air between them.

She reached out tentatively, her eyes focused on his cock, standing up proudly in front of her. She ran her finger over the tip, her heart filling with pride at the sharp intake of breath. "Jesus." She smiled, her touch growing bolder as she gripped him lightly, pumping her hand up and down and watching as his hips bucked. He was kneeling between her legs, his eyes closed in rapture as she touched him, explored him, relearned how to make his entire body jerk with arousal. Her heart swelled with emotion as he watched his reactions, and her own desire spiked. His fingers trailed up her legs, finally reaching between them, over the soft curls and into the wet folds that were swollen and begging for his touch.

Her eyes filled with tears at the sheer beauty of the moment. The absolute joy of relearning each other's bodies, the soft hesitant touches… As if they were two teenagers discovering each other for the first time. There was a trust, an intimacy in this, and the sweetness of it nearly broke her. His finger brushed against her clit and she bucked against it, her breath coming in short gasps as her hand began to pump him faster.

She groaned as his finger pressed insistently against her, flicking quickly over her clit until she was writhing under him, her legs stiffening as another orgasm approached. His eyes were fixed on her, and she gasped when she felt him pry her hand away. Her eyes flew open, watching as he took himself in his hand, pressing the tip of his cock against her clit, forcing another, brighter burst of pleasure to wash over her.

He wasted no time, and he buried himself deep within her, moaning when he felt the wet heat of her walls pulsing around him. She moaned impossibly, and she knew that she was still coming. He kept a hand between them, his thumb continuing to press against her throbbing clit, and she sobbed with his next strong thrust.

"Come on, Marissa." His voice was raspy with arousal, and edged with a hint of steel. She had no choice. She would be content to let him take her. To feel him pulse and burst within her, but he had other plans. Her mind was blank, her eyes unable to see anything but him. Even when they closed, she saw his face, his eyes boring into hers, their bodies intermingled, his cock buried to the hilt inside her. She couldn't escape.

"Happy, I can't… Not again, I can't…" He nodded, his thumb pressing harder, until she ached exquisitely.

"You will," he whispered softly. "Come with me." The harsh whisper combined with the tug of his teeth on her ear sent her skittering into oblivion. The only thing that existed and her heart sang with joy when he called out her name, spilling himself completely inside her. Silence stretched between them, punctuated only by their desperate gasps of air as they came down.

He pulled out slowly before climbing up, covering her mouth once more with his own. This kiss was sweet and gentle, and she knew without a doubt that nothing had changed between them. Nothing had ever changed. He drew back and she could see the love in his eyes. The same love that had been masked at times by anger and pain and betrayal. The same love that had pushed them time and time again to help each other, rescue each other, no matter how bad things seemed.

It was at that moment that Marissa decided that she was going to survive fourteen months without him. No matter what was thrown their way, she could never walk away from this man and she hoped that he would never do the same.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: The next few chapters will be about Marissa's time spent without Happy for the next fourteen months. This is where I'm getting really excited. I know how I want this story to go and I'm trying to plan it out in a way that coincides with the actual SOA Season 4 storyline._

* * *

><p><strong>Month 1<strong>

"I need to talk to you." Marissa sighed when she opened her front door and saw Tara standing there. The guys are only been on the inside for two days and Marissa was already starting to feel the loss. Not only was her man locked up but so was her surrogate father Tig and her goofy little brother Juice. Marissa was trying to adjust but if the past two days were any indication to things to come, she didn't know if she was going to make it. She saw the seriousness in Tara's face and opened the door wider, despite the fact that she really wanted to be left alone.

"What's up?" Marissa walked towards the couch and motioned for Tara to sit down. Marissa couldn't help but notice that Tara had a death grip on her shoulder bag.

"I found something." Marissa raised an eyebrow.

"Something like what?"

"After the boys went in I was at the house cleaning up. I started to unpack Jax's bag from Belfast and I found some letters. They were from JT to a lady named Maureen. She put the letters in Jax's bag hoping that he would read them and find out the truth." Marissa was beyond confused. She knew about Maureen from Gemma and she knew the older woman was spooked about what secrets Maureen might actually know.

"The truth about what?" She saw Tara shake slightly and Marissa automatically became worried. "Tara, what is going on babe?"

"JT…he wrote that Gemma and Clay were having an affair and that he was…he said that he knew he was going to die." Marissa gasped slightly. "He also said that his death would come at the hand of his wife and his best friend. Marissa, I think Gemma and Clay may have had JT killed." Tara's theory made Marissa's head spin. This could be very bad and have some serious consequences. If Jax found out that his mother and Clay had something to do with his father's death, there was no telling what could happen.

"What are you going to do?" Tara shook her head.

"I don't know. On one hand, if I tell Jax about Gemma it will destroy their relationship but it could also mean…" Tara trailed off as she seemed to be lost in thought. It didn't take Marissa long to read her mind.

"But it could also mean the final straw that will pull Jax completely away from SAMCRO." Tara snapped her eyes to Marissa's.

"Things are different now Marissa. We have a family of our own to think about. It's not just about the club anymore. I have to start thinking about what's best for Abel and this baby. It's bad enough that I am going to give birth while my boyfriend is jail. How many more times will I have to go through this? How many times will I be stuck at home worried out of my mind if the father of my children will walk back in the house?"

"Tara, you knew what you were getting into when you got back with Jax."

"He told me it would be different. He said that shit was going to calm down but it never did. It was always one crisis after another. More bullets, more blood, the shit never seems to end. Can I honestly live the rest of my life like this?" Marissa shook her head with exasperation.

"So you think the best way to get Jax out of town is by making him not only hate the club but his stepfather and mother too? Is that your great big scheme? To make it so that the only person Jax ever has left is you? Don't you think that is being a little selfish?"

"I never said that I was going to show Jax the letters. I just…I don't know what to do anymore." Tara seemed so lost that Marissa felt herself reaching out and hugging her best friend. She knew that Tara's emotions were at an all time high, especially with the pregnancy but Marissa didn't need for Tara to jump to a decision that she would live to regret. Marissa pushed a strand of Tara's hair back.

"You have two choices. You either tell Jax the second that he gets out, because the last thing that you want to do is be carrying around this shit or you bury it forever. You can't have it both ways Tara. If you don't tell Jax at the first given opportunity, then don't tell him at all." Tara wiped away some excess tears.

"How do I know what to do?" Marissa shrugged her shoulders.

"You have fourteen months to decide."

* * *

><p><strong>Month 2<strong>

"What the hell happened to you?" Marissa asked as she spent another Saturday at the prison to visit her boys. She made it a point to see everyone so that no one would ever feel neglected.

"An intense basketball game, Hurricane." Tig waved off her concern. Marissa's mouth twitched beyond her control at Tig's black eye.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that white men can't jump?" Tig glared as Marissa laughed. They both sobered up and Tig's expression became serious.

"How are you holding up, Hurricane?" Marissa shrugged.

"Gemma's on house arrest so I'm running the garage by myself. Work's been a little slow considering we are short on workers and some people prefer certain guys to work on their cars and don't want anyone else. I've been riding down once a week to check on Hap's mom. Between Miriam, Gemma, Lyla and Tara, I've been pretty busy."

"Anyone giving you any shit?"

"Nah. Besides, you know I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself. Oh, Lucy is staying at my house for the time being. I figure one of the prospects may forget to feed her or something so my house was the best place for her."

"Prospects that bad?" Marissa made a gesture with her hand.

"They're so-so. I guess they just make me miss Kip a lot more. It's not like I trust them. Opie is busy with Lyla and the kids. Piney's been drinking a lot more. Chibs has been good to me…it's just not the same."

"What about Kozik? He been on his best behavior?"

"Yes, Tigger. You plan on letting him ever patch SAMCRO? He's doing all of us a big ass favor by staying in Charming while you guys are doing your time, that's gotta count for something."

"We'll see how he handles shit while we're gone and then I'll decide." Marissa sighed, knowing that Kozik could take a bullet for Tig and he would still be bitching about Missy to Kozik's dead body.

* * *

><p><strong>Month 3<strong>

"Hap, I can't do this anymore," Those were the first words out of Marissa's mouth as Happy sat down across from her. She was a sight for sore eyes. Happy wasn't able to see her the past two weeks as he had been in solitary confinement due to a fight with some Russian prick. He had gotten out on Wednesday and been counting the days when he could see his old lady. Now he was starting to get worried by the expression on her face. He knew shit wasn't going to be easy for her. Their relationship had been a lot of separation and pain and he was wondering if maybe she was second guessing the crow on her rib cage and her purpose for being there.

"Do what?" Hap asked as he watched the light hit her compass necklace, lighting up her tan face.

"I can't keep lying to your mother." Happy let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. Jesus, this bitch had turned him into such a pussy. If someone would have told him 3 years ago that he would be worrying about some bitch leaving him, Happy would have slit their throat and then fucked three chicks on principal. Now he couldn't imagine walking out of this place and not having her arms to greet him.

"What's going on?" Marissa sighed.

"Miriam is far from stupid Hap. I have been visiting her once a week for the past three months and not once have you gone with me. I tell her that you have business or some shit and that worked for awhile but she told me even when you were handling club shit, you always made it a point to call. She knows that SAMCRO is more than just a motorcycle club and I don't like the idea of continuing to lie to her."

"I don't want her worrying."

"Hap, not knowing is going to worry her even more." Marissa's hazel eyes bore into Happy's onyx ones. He felt his defenses fade and knew that Marissa was right. He slightly growled as Marissa grinned knowingly.

"Fine, but just try to keep shit at a minimum. The last thing I want is Ma freaking out that I held up a goddamn church. She will never stop praying for my damned soul." Marissa laughed slightly before growing serious.

"Try to stay out of solitary. This is all I can get from you right now and I don't want anything to ruin that."

"No promises." Happy tapped his knuckle on the table. "So how is everything?" Marissa thought for a second before her eyes widened.

"Oh, why didn't you tell me about the prison clause?" Marissa's eyes were teasing as Happy grew very serious.

"Because that shit don't concern you."

"Really? Cause I was told that an old lady is allowed certain….privileges when her man's on the inside."

"You're starting to piss me off, Ramirez." Marissa waved her hand as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh simmer down Incredible Hulk. I'm Happy's old lady; trust me when I tell you no one will come near with a ten foot pole. Even my dildos are scared to work properly." Marissa laughed much to Happy's annoyance.

* * *

><p><strong>Month 4<strong>

"You really think this is a good idea?" Marissa asked as she stirred some sauce in a pot. She had stopped by Gemma's house after visiting Happy in prison. 10 more months to go and it wasn't coming soon enough. Marissa was doing her best to remain as busy as possible and for the most part she had succeeded.

However, she quickly learned that nights were the hardest for her. Even though there had been plenty of times that she had fallen asleep without Happy by her side, more often than not, she would at least wake up to him in her arms. She was sleeping less and less at night. Her insomnia gave her plenty of time to order stupid shit over the internet and have a ridiculous obsession with Words with Friends.

"She's having my grandbaby. Don't you think it's the right thing to do?" Gemma asked from her spot on the kitchen table where she was nursing a cigarette. She still had two more months of house arrest and much like Marissa; Gemma spent most of her time buying shit that was bound to just piss Clay off when he got out.

"She's been having a rough time, Gem. The further along she is in her pregnancy, the more she misses Jax. I seriously doubt a baby shower is going to lift her spirits. Besides, who the hell would we invite? Other than us and Lyla, it's not like Tara is close with anyone. Unless you want to fill the house with crow eaters who have either sucked Jax's dick or want the chance to. I'm sure she'll love it." Marissa remarked sarcastically as she shut the stove off and grabbed a beer out the fridge.

Marissa was becoming more and more agitated by certain shit. It seemed like everyone had something to look forward to. Opie and Lyla were in engaged bliss, Tara was having a baby which gave Gemma something to dote over until the boys got out. Marissa had nothing going on except work and a dog that took to being the highlight of her day.

"Shit starting to kick in, baby?" Gemma asked. If anyone knew what Marissa was going through, it was Gemma. How many times did she have to sit at home while her men were in prison? The only difference was she always had a child to distract her and keep her going. She knew Marissa had to be in pain, even if she never vocalized.

"Some days are worst than others. Today was just a bad one. I could only get twenty minutes with Hap due to some shit that went on. I beg him to stay out of trouble but I guess I forgot who I am talking to half the time." Marissa plopped down in the chair across from Gemma who promptly took the younger woman's hand.

"You've done good baby. I'mma let you in on a little secret." Marissa leaned forward as if they weren't the only two people in the house. "You have all the makings of being the queen. You have a better grasp at how to handle this life than Tara. I've grown to love Tara, I have but I won't say that certain shit doesn't bother me. I don't know if she has it in her to be the one to follow in my footsteps." Marissa found herself at a crossroads. This had been happening more frequently. Her relationships with both Tara and Gemma were changing significantly and she would be lying if she said it was starting to become very noticeable. She still loved Tara to death, but things have been strained since Marissa found out about the letters. She smirked at Gemma and decided to joke around to lighten the mood.

"I love power and Jax but I have no desire to fuck one in order to gain the other." The two women shared a laugh before going through a list of what to buy Tara and the new baby.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: The last entry of the last chapter has bothered some. I know many readers are fans of Tara and I'm not trying to take that away. Marissa has no desire to be the next queen because that would mean that she has to be with Jax and that will never happen. She loves Happy._

_However, Season 4 did show a change in Tara and the majority of SOA is told through the eyes of the women that love them. In this story, there are three main women: Gemma, Tara and Marissa. They all have their share of secrets and motives but at the end of the day, they will each do anything to protect their family. What or whom they start to consider family will vary and cause conflict but that's what makes a great story, right?_

_Okay enough of my rambling, here we go._

* * *

><p><strong>Month 5<strong>

"You look like shit."

"Bite me."

"Not my job." Jax's smirk made Marissa glare even harder. 9 more months to go, she kept repeating to herself. However, if Happy missed one more Saturday visit due to his anger issues, she was going to spend out the rest of his sentence in a jail cell of her own. She was supposed to see Tig this week, but he had found himself in the same predicament as Happy so she opted to check on Jax. Tara hadn't been able to visit as she was now in her final trimester and was advised by her doctor to take it easy.

"I hate your hair." Marissa glared causing Jax to laugh.

"Long hair wasn't working too well in the joint, princess. But seriously, you look like shit."

"I'm starting to think all your niceness was in your hair." Marissa sighed as she leaned her head back. "Your mother is getting off house arrest soon and it can't happen any quicker cause she is starting to tap dance on my last nerve. I'm chasing behind your hormonal baby mom who fluctuates between crying and yelling. To make matters worse, Hap's mom has been having a bad two weeks and I haven't seen him to let him know."

Jax took a deep breath. He was forever indebted to everything that Marissa had been doing to help while the boys were away. Tara has said time and time again that she didn't think she would be able to have survived without Marissa but now Jax was starting to notice cracks in the woman's shell and he was being to be worried.

"I'm sorry that all this shit has fallen on your lap." Jax said seriously and Marissa offered him a small smile.

"Don't worry about me, babe, I can handle shit. Me and Lucy are going to move into your place until Tara has the kid so she won't be alone."

"How is she doing?" Marissa shrugged.

"She's pregnant and scared but she will be fine. Tara's a tough broad. I'll be there for her Jax. We will all get through this." Jax placed his head down.

"I'm worried about her. This is not the way I planned shit."

"None of us did but we learn to roll with the punches." Marissa looked up at the clock as she realized her time was almost up. "Speaking of punches, the next time you see Happy, can you give him one?"

* * *

><p><strong>Month 6<strong>

Marissa shot up off the couch when she felt someone staring at her. She had just fallen asleep about an hour ago. It had been a rough couple of days. Hap's mom Miriam was in the hospital and Marissa had to spend three days in Bakersfield before Miriam was released. She had left Filthy Phil in charge and his dumb ass had failed to follow directions, earning him the Prospect patch for another year. She had come home to deal with a shitload of garage paperwork and to find out that Gemma's house arrest was extended for another two weeks because she had failed to miss a meeting with her parole officer, thanks to Phil.

She had seen Happy earlier in the day and almost broke down in tears. The stress of everything was hitting her hard and the more she tried to remain strong, the more she realized that a stint in a psych ward may not be far behind. She looked up at Tara who was standing over her with a weird expression.

"My water just broke." Marissa's eyes grew wide as she started to gather everything they needed. Shit, this was not supposed to happen. Gemma was supposed to be off house arrest by now so that she could be Tara's labor coach. Now it seemed like the responsibility fell on Marissa and she was scared shitless.

"Okay...um...shit…get your bag, I'll call Lyla and tell her to come pick up Abel and we can head to the hospital." Marissa grabbed her cell phone and called the blonde. After a few quick words, Lyla said that Opie was on his way. She glanced up as Tara made her way down the hallway with tears streaming down her face.

"How am I supposed to do this without him, Rissa? He should be here with me." Marissa grabbed Tara and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I know baby, I know but we will get through this. We are going to go to the hospital, have this gorgeous baby and everything will be fine. I promise you." Tara nodded with Marissa's comforting words as both women prayed that Marissa was right.

"Jesus Christ, can't they just go in and rip the baby out?" Marissa had been at the hospital with Tara for well over eleven hours and her five Red Bulls were starting to wear off. Tara had only been three centimeters dilated when they arrived at the hospital and it seemed like Baby Boy Teller was taking his dear old time arriving. Between comforting Tara and giving Gemma a play-by-play, Marissa was exhausted. Briefly she wondered if this was what her labor scene would look like.

She wondered if Happy would have been next to her, wiping the sweat off her brow and feeding her ice chips while whispering reassurances in her ear. Or would it have been Tara in the room with her while Happy was still in Tacoma none the wiser about her pregnancy. These type of situations stressed Marissa because it made her think back to when things were really bad between Happy and Marissa.

"I'm ready for this shit to be over." Tara groaned from her spot on the bed. Marissa smiled as she grabbed the doctor's hand.

"You're doing real well baby girl. I can't wait to meet my nephew." Tara smiled. While she was upset that Jax wasn't there to share in this experience, she took comfort in knowing that Marissa was here.

"I love you, Rissa." Marissa found herself getting emotional at those four little words. She tried to blink her emotions back as she smiled.

"I love you back, Tar." They both glanced up as the doctor walked in the room. He checked Tara out and said that she was finally fully dilated. He started to prep Tara for labor and Marissa sat behind Tara like they had been instructed to do at a rather hilarious birthing class where many people in the room had assumed Tara and Marissa were an item. Marissa grabbed both of Tara's hands as she prepared to offer all the support she could.

Less than ten minutes later, Thomas Teller made his way into the world. Marissa and Tara leaned into each other as they cried at the site in front of them.

* * *

><p><strong>Month 7<strong>

"How's the kid?" Happy asked as he and Marissa looked over at Gemma, Tara and Jax in the corner of the crowded room. It seemed like all of SAMCRO was there today and while it wasn't ideal, it was still nice to see everyone in the same room.

"Gorgeous and Abel is such a good big brother. It's down right adorable. These kids are turning me into mush Hap." Marissa smiled wistfully as she turned her eyes back to Happy. She noticed that seven months in jail was doing wonders for his body. Happy always had a great, toned body but apparently jail workouts made him even more delicious. It was becoming harder and harder for Marissa to keep her hands to herself at this meetings.

"How's Ma?"

"Good. She misses you, Hap but she has provided me with some awesome baby pictures of you to pass the time." Marissa smiled as Happy groaned to himself. "Oh stop it; you were a cute little baby. All curly hair and snarling. Nice to know the lack of emotions has been thirty plus years in the making." Marissa laughed loudly as Happy continued to glare.

"Fuck, I miss you." Marissa stopped smiling and turned serious at Happy's words.

"Hap, don't do this. Please." In the past seven months, Happy and Marissa made it a point not to get too serious in their conversations; it just made things harder in the end. Now she was looking into his eyes and seeing all the lust and desire that swirled around and it made her body hot.

"I just thought you should know." Marissa rubbed the back of her head as she struggled with what to say.

"I miss you too mi amor. You fucking owe me when you get out. I want the full treatment: rides to the beach, movies on the couch, you as my sex slave." Marissa wiggled her eyebrows causing Happy to smirk. They both turned their attention to the noise coming from the other side of the room as Jax laughed loudly at something Thomas had done. They each were lost in their own thoughts about family and the future.

* * *

><p><strong>Month 8<strong>

"Damn bro, you are like the jail version of MacGyver." Jax exclaimed as he looked down at his new "Thomas" tattoo. Happy smirked from his position on the bottom bunk. "It looks great, thanks man."

"No problem…but if I get put in the hole for this shit, you are dealing with my old lady." The two men smiled at each other before the guard knocked on the cell and handed them four envelopes. Two were from Gemma, giving the guys updates on all the information that their old ladies were trying to keep from them.

Happy was concerned to read that Gemma was noticing a dramatic weight loss in Marissa. Happy was always so excited to see her face that he hadn't fully looked at her. Now that it was brought to his attention, Happy did notice that her clothes seem baggy and her face was slightly more gaunt. He made it a point to address this the next time he saw her.

Happy glanced at the pictures that Gemma had sent. There were various candids of Marissa: her working at the garage, her leaning into Chibs as she laughed at Piney, etc. It was the final picture that made Happy stop. It was a picture of Marissa sitting in a rocking chair hold Thomas in her arms and Abel standing beside them. She was looking at the baby with such admiration as if she was born to look like this.

"It's a good look for her." Happy glanced up at Jax who was staring at the picture.

"Yeah, it is." Happy rasped out as Jax took a seat beside his brother.

"You ever think about trying again? Doing shit right this time?" Happy snorted.

"You mean knocking her up when I haven't left her and there isn't a psycho fucker that wanted her dead?" The pair laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

"You can always try my method. Knock up the drug addicted ex-wife, get the old girlfriend to fall in love and help raise the kid, then sleep with a whore while the girlfriend is knocked up but everything is forgiven because girlfriend happens to get kidnapped right before she goes to abort kid." Happy laughed harder and Jax joined him.

"We don't make shit easy for them, do we?" Happy asked.

"Nah man." Jax looked over as Happy opened up another envelope. This one was from Marissa. There was no letter, simply a few pictures of Miriam and Marissa. He smiled at the sight of his mother who seemed to be doing better, physical at least.

"You going to make shit official with Rissa?" Jax asked.

"She's branded, how much more official should I make it?"

"I'm talking marriage man. You plan on making an honest woman outta her?" The pair sat in silence before looking at each other. Marissa? An honest woman? The thought sent the two men in hysterics in their little cell.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: If you have never read Nobody's Fool, I recommend that you go back and read Chapter 29 in order to have a better understanding of this chapter. Thanks everyone for the support and reviews._

* * *

><p><strong>Month 9<strong>

Marissa stretched her arms above her head as she sat at the garage office. She was exhausted. She had spent the morning picking up Chibs from the airport and the afternoon knee deep in repos. Times like this she missed having all the guys around. Opie and Kozik were busy in the garage with the prospects while Piney had gone up to the cabin after a few unpleasant meetings with Mary's boyfriend. She looked outside at the makeshift playground that the boys had set up to see Gemma and Tara talking to each other. Marissa couldn't help but smile at seeing the two women growing closer. Them getting along was best for everyone.

She looked up when she heard a knock at her door and smiled brightly. "Claudia! What the hell are you doing here?" She stood up to hug Dante's older sister. She hadn't seen Claudia since she left Florida after Anthony's demise. She looked at the woman's tight black dress, sky high heels and tight black jacket and shook her head. Something's were never going to change.

"Jesus, you weren't kidding about this place being like Mayberry?" Claudia smiled as she took a seat next to Marissa. "How are you holding up?" Marissa shrugged slightly.

"Happy will be out in 5 months so I'm just trying to hold out until then."

"You've lost weight." Marissa rolled her eyes. Claudia was not the first person to mention this and it was border lining on annoying at this point. She knew that she hadn't been paying the best attention to her health; she just wished everyone would stop pointing it out.

"What are you doing here?" Marissa asked her original question. While she was excited to see Claudia, a personal visit from the mob princess was never a good sign. Claudia's face took on a serious turn.

"Is there anywhere we can go to talk?" Marissa took in Claudia's face and felt dread fill her stomach.

"Uh, yeah. I was just getting ready to log off the computer. Give me a few minutes and we can head back to my place." Claudia nodded as she looked outside.

"Where's the Coyote?" Marissa looked up and growled. The loss of her dream car was still a touchy subject for the brunette. She finished shutting down the computer and grabbed her purse. She led Claudia out the door and waved to everyone as she headed towards her car.

"Who is that?" Gemma asked from her spot on the swing set.

"I have no idea." Tara replied.

"What the hell are you talking about Gemma?" Two days later, Happy was expecting to see Marissa for their normal Saturday appointment. He was extremely surprised to see Gemma sitting at the table when he was escorted in the room.

"Some chick shows up at the shop two days ago, they leave together and then all of sudden Rissa is calling saying that she needs a few days off of work cause she has to leave town." Happy rubbed his forehead as he felt the beginning of a headache going on. He swore Marissa was going to be the death of him.

"Did she say where she was going or what the hell she was doing?" Gemma shook her head.

"Nope and she seemed in a rush to get off the phone."

"GOD DAMNIT!" Happy roared as everyone turned to look at them. "Stubborn, hard headed, god damn…" Happy took a deep breath. "It would be just like her to get into some shit when I'm in and can't do nothing about it."

"Calm down, Hap. I don't know what she was doing but I doubt she would risk something happening to her. She's smarter than that." Happy raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it will be just my luck that damn girl digs herself into a ditch when there is no one to save her."

* * *

><p><strong>Month 10<strong>

Marissa wanted to bang her head on the table that separated her and Happy. She should have known that Gemma was going to run back and tell Happy that she had left Charming for a few days and now she was being grilled like a goddamn criminal.

"For the love of shit Happy, will you drop this?" Marissa groaned as she fought the urge to rip her hair out of her head. She had every intention of telling him where she was at but that flew out the window the second he sat down and started berating her for leaving town while he was in jail. Now she was just getting pissed off.

"You are not taking care of yourself. You look like the walking dead and then Gemma tells me some chick shows up and then you haul ass for five days."

"I knew I should I have went to see Juice." Marissa muttered to herself. She took a deep breath and looked into Happy's angry eyes. "Claudia is Dante's sister. She was living overseas for a lot of years but we have been able to stay in contact. She is the one that helped with the Anthony problem." Hap was pissed. He thought after Anthony died, Marissa was finally going to bury the ghost of her ex but here the man's name was again.

"Anyway, she was dating this guy Luis for a couple of years and they also had a business relationship. Shit went south between the two of them and she needed to clear her head. She had some shit to take care of in San Diego so she asked me if I wanted to go with her."

"Why would you do something like that?" Marissa rolled her eyes. Hap could really be completely clueless from time to time.

"Because for the last ten god damn months I have been playing the role of the good little friend, old lady and worker. I needed a break, Happy. I went to San Diego, went to the beach, worked on my tan, got a massage or two and came the fuck back home." The couple glared at each other for a few moments.

"Is that all that happened?"

"Yes." And for the most part, Marissa was telling the truth. She just neglected to mention that she also helped Claudia with a little breaking and entering mission with someone that owed Claudia some money. Happy had a feeling that there was something that she was keeping from him, but he also knew that if he continued to push her she would shut down.

"And what the hell do you mean I look like the walking dead?"

"You take a look in the mirror lately? How much weight have you lost?" If it was anyone else that spoke to her like that, Marissa would have been offended. However, she knew that Happy came without a filter and even when he was trying to be sincere, he had a harsh way of approaching a subject.

"I haven't stepped on a scale." Marissa remarked sarcastically.

"Well maybe you should." Happy quipped back and Marissa found herself pissed off.

"Well maybe you should kiss my ass."

"What did you say to me, little girl?"

"Jesus Christ, Hap. What do you want from me? I'm running myself ragged trying to take care of all the pieces the best way I know how. I have to run to Bakersfield and take care of your mother. I spent six months having to keep Gemma from trying to saw off her own ankle while dealing with a pregnant hormonal Tara. I'm running the garage pretty much on my own. I have Lucy living with me to keep the fucking dog alive because if Tig comes home and another dog is dead, he will blame Kozik and I don't have time for that fucking headache." Marissa took a deep breath as she felt her voice start to rise.

"I am doing the best I can. I am aware that I have lost some weight and maybe I'm not taking care of myself the way that I should be but I'm trying Happy, I am fucking trying. Do you know how hard this shit has been for me? You went in just after you came home from Belfast. We barely had a chance to reconnect before you were ripped from me again. I have done everything anyone has asked me to do and it is still not enough. I don't know what you want from me." Marissa stood up, grabbed her purse and walked out of the room without giving Happy a chance to respond.

* * *

><p><strong>Month 11<strong>

"Thanks for sending the money to my ma." Juice said as he sat down across from Marissa.

"No problem, babe." Marissa smiled softly. It had been a rough month for her. Ever since she flipped out on Happy, she had a been walking around with a huge chip on her shoulder, snapping out on anyway who dared to look at her. She glanced across the room as she felt his eyes on hers as he was talking to his mother. After eleven months, Miriam had enough of not seeing her son and all but demanded to be taken to the prison. Marissa couldn't refuse the woman's request and brought her up to Charming for the weekend.

"How are you holding up?" Marissa asked as she turned her attention back to Juice. She got an adorable smile in return.

"So far, so good."

"I can't take all these changes. Jax loses his hair, you gain yours. It is just too much for me to handle." Marissa joked and the pair shared a laugh. Out of everyone, she was the most concerned about how Juice was going to handle prison. Last time they had been there, they had made Juice the sacrificial lamb for the greater good. Looking at the young man now, he seemed to be doing alright and that warmed her heart.

"What did you do this time, Michael?" Miriam asked her son. He noticed that his mother was looking a bit tired since the last time he saw her.

"It was just a simple charge, Ma."

"Not why are you in jail, Michael. What did you do to Marissa to have both of you looking like someone kicked your three-legged puppy?" Happy sighed deeply. He sometimes hated how well his mother knew him. This was one of those times.

"She's not taking care of herself. Look at her." Happy pointed to the woman as he took in her appearance. She had on a baggy sweater and a pair of ripped jeans. Her long curly hair was pulled back into a ponytail and Happy could see the bags under her eyes. Miriam sighed. She knew that her son was not okay with leaving his loved ones behind. She also knew that he had an odd way of expressing his worry. She could just imagine what Happy had said to Marissa.

"She hasn't been sleeping." Miriam confessed to Happy who jolted his eyes back towards his mother.

"What do you mean?"

"She told me nights are hard for her. Being in the house that she shares with you and you not being there is hard for her." Happy felt stupid as his mother's admission.

"She never told me."

"That doesn't surprise me. She doesn't want to worry you. She just wants you to come home. She will be fine, Michael, I promise you. You just have to let her sort this out on her own. Woman love their men so fiercely and with so much passion, that they will put themselves on the back burner for the man that they love. She loves you with everything she has Happy. Just…be easy on her until you get out of here."

* * *

><p><strong>Month 12<strong>

"What the hell are you doing?" Marissa asked as a way of greeting when she walked inside Tara's house. Tara looked up from her feeding Thomas.

"What are you talking about?" Marissa crossed her arms over her chest.

"When the hell did you get so buddy-buddy with Piney?" Marissa had been noticing that Tara had been paying more attention to Piney lately and there was more than one incident where she had walked in to seeing them in an intense conversation. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they have been talking about.

"Fuck Tara. You told Piney about the letters didn't you?"

"I just asked him some questions about JT and Clay. That's it." Marissa was furious.

"What are thinking? You know that shit hasn't been right between Clay and Piney since Donna died. Now you are going to have him digging through the past. Jesus Christ." Marissa sat down on the love seat. The boys would be home in two months and the last thing Marissa wanted to be doing was worrying about what her best friend was up to.

"It was just some questions Rissa. I'm sure Piney won't say anything."

"Piney is an old man with nothing to lose. He doesn't have an old lady, his son has been following Clay's footsteps more so than his own, this club is responsible for his daughter-in-law's death and he has to basically sit on the sidelines as the club that he founded has been basically overrun by guys have his age."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that when you are a man with nothing to lose, you start to play with fire cause you don't give a shit about the consequences. I begged you, Tara. Either tell Jax the second he got out or bury this shit forever. You saying shit to Piney is just going to open up Pandora's Box and I don't see this shit ending well for anyone."


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N: This is the last chapter showcasing Happy's time in jail. Since there are only two more months to go, this chapter is shorter than normal._

* * *

><p><strong>Month 13<strong>

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." Marissa smiled at Happy and he smirked in return.

"So what's new?" Happy asked.

"Opie and Lyla finally set a date. They are planning on getting married the weekend after you guys get out. It gives us something to look forward to or some shit. So I have been helping her plan the wedding." Happy nodded. Ever since his mother had visited a few months ago, it seemed like both of them were going out of their way not to step on each others toes. They were both stubborn and hard headed but if they were going to fight, they needed to be in a place that allowed them to have make-up sex afterwards.

"How's that working?" Marissa rolled her eyes as she thought about the wedding planning that she had been sucked into over the past few weeks.

"It's been…challenging. There isn't exactly a biker/porn star wedding manual in the latest copy of Modern Bride magazine. She asked me to sing at the wedding and I'm running myself in the ground trying to find the perfect song for the occasion. Somehow I don't think 'Mama, Don't let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys' would be very appropriate."

"Aren't you chicks supposed to be experts at this wedding shit?" Marissa rolled her eyes at Happy's blatant sexism.

"I never wanted to have a big wedding. I always figured if I ever get married, I would just go to the courthouse or Vegas. Keep it simple. I don't know shit about half the things everyone has been talking about." The wedding planning was a bit hard for Marissa as she noticed everyone starting to establish their own little families outside of the big SAMCRO family. She knew that she had the tattoo on her rib cage and in many ways, that symbolized more than any ring could but she would be lying if she said that she hadn't entertained the thought of being Happy's wife one day.

"How have you been?" Marissa asked.

"Ready to get the fuck outta here but that's nothing new. Shit's been quiet lately so that's good. Juice almost got jumped last week but we put an end to that shit." Happy knew that Marissa worried about Juice as she looked at him like he was her little brother and he was happy that he didn't have to deliver any bad news.

"I told that kid to be careful." Marissa muttered. "So is there anything special that you want when you get the hell out of here?" Marissa knew that the club was planning a massive party for when they got out but she needed to know if he needed anything for home.

"Just you." Marissa cursed herself when she felt her cheeks flush with his statement. The sweetness was rare in their relationship but every time it did happen, she couldn't stop herself from acting like a teenager with her first crush.

"Oh…I knew there was something I had to tell you. There are some new badges in Charming."

"What do you mean?"

"Some guy name Roosevelt from San Joaquin has taking over the Charming PD. They have already made the rounds to the garage to introduce themselves. You may want to give Clay a heads up. This guy is nothing like Hale or Unser."

"Shit."

* * *

><p><strong>Month 14<strong>

Marissa sat at her kitchen table with a glass of white wine in one hand and a joint in the other. The boys were being released tomorrow and Marissa's anxiety was starting to kick in hard core. She had scrubbed the house from top to bottom. She had filled Happy's side of the closet with new clothes and his side of the bathroom counter had a variety of new toiletries. She had spent most of the day setting up the clubhouse with the women in between finalizing wedding plans with Lyla.

Now that the night had fallen, Marissa took the time to think about everything that had transpired over the past fourteen months. She knew that things were not going to be easy at first. Marissa knew that there was going to be some big adjustments made. She was used to taking care of everything on her own, and now she would have to go back to allowing Happy take the lead. She silently hoped that this time they would be able to spend some real time together before the next tragedy hit.

She hoped that Tara would make the right decision about what to do concerning those letters. Marissa knew that if Tara continued the path that she was on, only bad things could happen. It was bad enough that she was asking Piney; if Clay or Gemma caught wind of what Tara may know, it could be deadly and heartbreaking for everyone involved. For the briefest moments, Marissa wished that Tara hadn't confided in her because it put her in a very strange predicament. Tara was Marissa's best friend but the relationship between Gemma and Marissa was very strong and Marissa did not want to be stuck in the middle.

Marissa stood up from the kitchen table and made her way to the living room. She pulled out her laptop and plugged in her IPod. She had agreed to perform the first song for Opie and Lyla at their wedding and Marissa was stuck on what song would perfectly fit the situation. They were far from the average couple and Marissa knew that they needed something other than a generic song. Both of them were absolutely no help so it was up to Marissa to come up with song selection on her own.

She pulled her hair up as she ran up and down her playlist. Finally a song came to her and she double clicked. The soft strumming of the guitar flooded her living room and she sat back and closed her eyes as the lyrics assaulted her soul. She smiled softly to herself as she realized that she had found the perfect song. She hoped that Happy would pay attention to the lyrics because every though the song was for Opie and Lyla, it can apply to every couple that would be there.

Marissa glanced at the clock and sighed seeing that it was only a quarter after ten. She was anxious and knew that trying to get any sleep would be pointless. In a little less than 15 hours, she would be back in Happy's arms and the thought scared and excited her at the same time. She walked back towards the bedroom and packed a bag. Marissa put the lease on Lucy and headed out towards her car. She glared every time that she had to get in her new car but she also knew that for now it would have to do.

The drive to the compound was quick and Marissa was surprised to see several familiar cars in the parking lot. She grabbed her bag and Lucy and headed towards the front door.

"Hey baby." Gemma asked from her spot at the bar. Marissa walked closer and kissed the older woman on the cheek. "What are you doing here?" Marissa shrugged.

"I knew there was no way in hell I was getting any sleep, so I figured I would come here and get a head start on the food for tomorrow." Marissa patted Lucy's head and watched as the dog ran to Koz. Marissa couldn't help but smirk at the irony. Tig's dog had a soft spot for Kozik.

"I know the feeling. I haven't been away from my boys for this long in a while. It will be good to have them home." Marissa nodded as she poured herself a drink. She tapped the bar with her fingers for a few moments before addressing Gemma.

"Will it be different?" At Gemma's questioning gaze, Marissa elaborated. "When they get out, will they be different?" Gemma sighed before answering.

"They have to adjust…we all have to adjust. You worried about you and Hap?"

"I just…him being away hasn't been easy for me, especially these last few months. Every time I go to see him, we either fight or have bullshit meaningless conversations to avoid fighting. It's like we are so disconnected and I don't know if it's jail or if it's us." Marissa finally vocalized her fears and it felt good. Gemma patted her hand.

"That man loves you, Marissa. Love like that can get through anything. It has gotten you two this far." Marissa sighed not entirely convinced but itching to get away from this uncomfortable conversation. She smiled slightly.

"From your mouth to God's ears."


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: The chapter I have been waiting for: the boys release from jail. The story will start to pick up from here and I'm really excited to see how this plays out. If I continue to get the amazing support from you guys, I believe this will be a trilogy and one more story will play out after Maintain The Pain._

_This chapter has sexual content._

* * *

><p>Marissa paced the clubhouse over and over again until she was almost dizzy. She had been right about not being able to get much sleep as her and Gemma sat outside talking and drinking at the makeshift playground. They shared stories and laughed until their sides ached. They sat in silence as the sun started to rise and they both lay together on the couch as they allowed themselves two hours of rest before people started to pile in.<p>

The clubhouse was filled to capacity with loved ones and cling ons. The boys had left a little over a half an hour ago to pick up the jailbirds and Marissa was growing more and more nervous by the second. She had never been overly concerned about her appearance yet she found herself walking past the mirror every five seconds to check her reflection. Her long black hair was blow dried straight and flowed down her back. She was wearing a pair of dark, ripped jeans with a red one-sleeved shirt. On her feet were five inch platform booties with silver clasps on the side.

The jeans were new and Marissa finally realized the true extent of her weight loss. When she went to try on the pants, she learned that she had lost two pants sizes. Marissa always loved and appreciated her curves and as she zipped up a pair of size 2 jeans, she knew that she had to start taking better care of herself.

She glanced around as the crow eaters were setting out the food and preparing the bar. She saw Lyla and Tara talking on the couch as Gemma feed Thomas in the corner. She looked up at the monitors as the familiar roar of motorcycles seemed to stop everyone in their tracks. She watched as the vans and bikes parked and everyone seemed to run out of the clubhouse. Marissa, however, seemed rooted to her spot. She wasn't sure how to proceed.

Happy and Marissa were not big on letting others see the true closeness of their relationship. While she wanted to run into his arms and never let go, her pride wouldn't allow her. Instead she slowly pulled on her leather coat and walked outside. She watched with smiling eyes as Jax seemed to not see anything beyond his children. She looked to her left and saw Gemma and Clay attacking each other in a way that made Marissa laugh and wonder if she would still be that much in love twenty plus years later.

She glanced around the parking lot and her eyes met Happy's. He was standing there in a white tee shirt and dark jeans with his cut fitting perfectly on his back. It was nothing out of the ordinary but to Marissa; he had never looked so good.

She walked closer to him and she ran a hand over his abdomen. It seemed like no amount of words was going to work for this situation. Marissa could hear voices surround her but she could have cared less. Happy seemed to be reading her thoughts as his raspy voice attacked her ears.

"Say hi to everyone while I start up the bike." She smiled slightly and nodded. She turned and all but ran into Tig's waiting arms. She blinked back the tears when her "dad" squeezed tightly and told her that he missed her. She ran around giving everyone hugs and kisses. She promised she would have shots and beers later on and she laughed with tears in her eyes at the sight of her family finally being back together. She gave Gemma a knowing look and the older woman smiled in return. Marissa had all the time in the world to party in the clubhouse but she and Happy needed some time together first.

Their eyes met, and a burst of warmth spread through her as she saw him bite his lip and jerk his head over, inviting her to join him. She swung her leg over the seat, leaning in to kiss his cheek softly before wrapping her arms around his waist and grinning as he took off.

The ride had been exhilarating. Everything she'd remembered and her body hummed as she climbed off the bike, her eyes taking in her surroundings with wonder. She had never been to this place before, and all she could see was the moonlit grass and the city far below them. She glanced over her shoulder, smiling warmly at him before she skipped over to the edge, needing the extra rush of adrenaline. They were on a mountaintop at least an hour outside of Charming. That much she could discern, and she felt her heart pound in her chest as she neared the edge, stopping two or three feet short of the steep cliff.

A light breeze whipped around her, threading its way through her hair and prompting her to pull her leather jacket tight around her. It was beautiful, and more importantly, they were completely alone. His arms surrounded her and she closed her eyes, leaning back into the embrace. "Cold?" His breath was warm against her ear and she shivered, her body trembling from the emotions running through her.

"Not anymore." His mouth trailed down to her neck, and she dropped her head to the side, giving him as much access as he would take. Everything in the air seemed to melt away, the sounds of the birds above them, the light breeze… it all faded away, leaving them alone. She felt his hands move to the front of her jacket and her arms dropped to the side, allowing him to peel it gently from her body. She turned around, her mouth lifting to meet his.

A moan ripped from deep inside her at the sensation. He was breaking down every wall she held up, and he was doing it with a tenderness that she had missed desperately. Her arms clutched at his neck, and she felt him bend over, lifting her gently into his arms. She pulled away slowly, her eyes seeking his as he walked her away from the edge. "Happy…"

"I've missed you," he whispered softly. "Marissa, I miss you so much." Tears sprang to her eyes and she smiled at him, cupping his cheek gently in one hand. It was rare for them to be this vulnerable and unguarded but fourteen months apart can make anyone soft, even if it was only going to be for a brief moment in time.

"I'm right here." He kissed her softly, and she could feel as he knelt on the ground, still holding her as if she were glass that could break. As if she was the most precious thing in the world to him. Looking into his eyes at that moment, she began to believe it. He laid her down on the grass gently, stretching alongside her as he looked down at her face. He dropped the jacket next to them before running his hand along her body. Their eyes clung desperately, and she could see right into him.

She could see the turmoil over the fight that they had four months ago, and she could see the confusion he felt about what was going to happen next. But most apparent was the desire… the blatant need for her touch, for her presence. Her fingers threaded through his hair as she pulled him on top of her.

"I'm right here, Happy." She took his hand, pulling it between their bodies to rest against her racing heart. "Feel that? It's all because of you." She felt, rather than heard his groan, and her body arched in pleasure as he dropped his weight into her. She prided herself on her strength, her independence, but nothing made her feel more feminine, more sensual than the feeling of Happy's hard-muscled body overwhelming hers. She felt small and delicate… and utterly protected.

Their hands made quick work of their clothes, and she thrilled to the feeling of their bodies pressed together, no barriers in between them. She didn't know if she'd ever get used to it. She was home with him. In his arms, she was safe and warm and she felt loved. There was no need for teasing and foreplay this night. The emotions coursing through her were enough, and she wrapped herself around him, pulling him closer until he understood.

She was just as desperate as he, and he snuck a hand between them, groaning when he felt her wetness. Arching her hips forward, she met him, and her body purred in contentment when he slipped inside her, filling and stretching her until there was nowhere left to go. She tightened her grip on his waist as he began to move, stopping him as she struggled to adjust. His eyes searched her face, taking in the passion, but not missing the pain that edged her eyes. He kissed her face gently, over and over until he felt her relax around him, finally ready. Without a word, they began to move together, their bodies straining against each other in a natural rhythm as they sought to relieve the tension running through them. She could feel herself getting closer, the rhythm urging her closer and closer to the precipice of orgasm, and she gasped, bereft, when he pulled out of her suddenly. "Happy," she begged softly.

"Come here." His voice was husky, commanding, as he settled onto his knees, his erection jutting proudly upward. He pulled her up, turning her around gently so that her back was to him. "I need to touch you." She nearly came from the intensity of his voice, and she cried out when he pulled her down roughly, filling her again as his hands began to travel over her, squeezing her breasts, teasing her nipples until she was panting for release. She turned her head desperately toward him, her mouth seeking his, and she moaned when she found it, lifting a hand to keep his head anchored to hers. Her free hand reached behind her, grasping at his hip to bring him deeper inside, and she cried out into his mouth when his hand found the soft folds of her sex. His fingers played her expertly, drawing her to the edge of desperation until she was whimpering against him, the sensations of him moving inside of her and touching her overwhelming every sense. She could feel his pace increase, and she knew he was getting close. His fingers moved faster against her swollen clit bringing her to peak, and she felt him spill himself just as she cried out, her body stiffening in ecstasy. His fingers continued to work her, milking every shudder, every burst of pleasure from her body until she sagged against him, completely spent.

"Happy," she gasped exhaustedly. "My God…" He eased her off of him, turning her around to envelop her in his arms. She felt completely sated, completely content. She could hardly remember drifting off against his shoulder or being laid down against his chest.

* * *

><p>She woke up after an hour, surprised to see him staring down at her, his arms still holding her tight. "Hey," he whispered softly. She smiled, turning to her side so that she could look at him more easily.<p>

"Hey." Her voice was soft, and her entire face shone with happiness. She finally had him back. Her fingers drifted up toward his cheek, stroking it softly.

"You want to tell me what's bothering you?" She looked up at him with surprised eyes. She shook her head.

"It's stupid." She pulled him closer and met his lips with hers. She had been scared at first that his being there was just a dream and she was going to wake up alone or with Lucy licking her face. It was a recurring nightmare that had plagued her for many months.

She settled back in Happy's arms as he played with the compass around her neck. "We're going to be okay." Happy said to reassure the both of them. He knew that things were going to be weird at first; he knew first hand that walking out of the joint at any given point in time wasn't always the easiest. This was his first time being released into the arms of an old lady and he had gotten some advice from his fellow brothers on how to handle the situation. He especially took Clay's advice to heart considering Gemma and Marissa were the closest in personalities. Clay, seeing that his stoic killer was struggling, had sent Gemma to visit Happy two weeks before the boys were released.

"_You're going to have to give her time baby. Marissa's a tough girl but this has cracked her shell a bit. When you get out, she's going to hold on to you a little tighter, her kisses will be a little softer. Her actions will be slightly more gently. It's just to reassure herself that you are really back and in her arms. She will go back to being the Marissa that you know; you just have to be patient."_

Happy looked down as Marissa snuggled closer to Happy's chest as if trying to mold herself into him and realized that Gemma was right. She was more affectionate and Happy was not at all disappointed or put off. If anything, it gave him confirmation of how important he was to her. They didn't need big declarations of love or romance. It wasn't how either one of them operated. They both always felt as though actions were going to speak louder than words. As Happy felt his heart beat in sync with Marissa, he finally understood the depth and definition of their relationship.

They weren't like Jax and Tara, all soft kisses and love that was written in books that made little girls believe in knights in shining armor that rode in on white horses.

They weren't like Gemma and Clay, understanding and secretive with a hard center.

They weren't like Opie and Lyla, a love based on second chances.

They were Happy and Marissa, made of flaws and perfections, fighting and love. They were made of complications and understanding. The pair was the epitome of a walking contradiction that made no sense to the other side world, but to Marissa and Happy, it represented everything that they never knew they wanted or needed out of life.

The sun set as the pair pulled into the clubhouse. Marissa could hear the loud bass of the music and knew that the party was in full swing. Before they reached the door, Happy leaned down and kissed her softly. When they walked inside, they each went their separate ways to socialize with their loved ones. Marissa never felt the need to fawn all over Happy in public places and generally let him be when they were at parties.

But when she felt his arms wrap around her waist and his lips find her neck while Marissa was talking to Lyla, she couldn't help but smile wide. Her man was home and nothing else mattered.


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: The song is "Bring It On Home" by Little Big Town. I highly recommend everyone to listen to it. It's a great song and could really apply to how an old lady feels._

* * *

><p>Marissa placed the earrings in her ear as she ran some hair spray through her up-do. She was beyond nervous and was hoping that everything would go according to plan, but Marissa had been in this outlaw life long enough to know that was very doubtful. She heard a whistle behind her and she turned slightly to see Happy leaning against the doorframe eyeing her appreciatively. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.<p>

"Don't even think about it." Marissa replied as she bent down to grab her shoes from next to their bed. Happy had only been home for less than week and they had definitely reconnected on a sexual level. There hadn't been much talking but Marissa knew once the initial excitement about him being home wore off, she was going to want to discuss a few things. She placed the 5 inch stiletto pumps on her feet and stood up to straighten out her deep purple, knee length strapless dress. She smirked as Happy walked closer to her. She had to stop him from trying to rip her clothes off if she planned to get anything accomplished today.

"You wanna tell me why there is a shitload of Russians that were just recently added to the guest list?" She smiled as he stopped in his tracks. She knew that would take his mind off throwing the dress on the floor. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised a newly manicured eyebrow when all she got was silence in return.

"Are you actually going to attend this wedding?"

"I'll be there." His ominous tone let her know that there was more to the story but she was exhausted to even try to peel back the layers and get to the truth. She figured she would save that for another time. She heard her cell phone ringing in the living room and glanced towards the clock. The time let her know that she was running later. She kissed Happy quickly as she ran out the house.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Marissa plopped down in a chair with a very unladylike snort. Lyla and Opie's wedding had gone off with only a few minor problems. She was surprised when she was seated and Happy sat next to her and put his arm around her. She knew that there was something going on with the Russians and she honestly wasn't expecting him after his cryptic response earlier.<p>

She took in the unlikely opportunity to lean into him as they linked hands and smiled at their friend's happiness. It was far from any wedding that Marissa had ever attended before but it was also one of the funniest. She watched as Tara kept a steady gaze on Jax as they played the perfect role of maid of honor and best man.

After the wedding, everyone was starting to make their way over to the beautifully decorated seating area with the band setting up and the dance floor cleared out. Marissa took a sip of her glass of water as she mentally prepared herself to sing. Singing was always something that came naturally to Marissa, it was never something she worked at and she knew it was never going to be a career path for her. Those facts always made Marissa a bit apprehensive about performing in public.

She silently wished that she had never sung at the fundraiser all those years ago when she was just a visitor in this small town. Now she was getting ready to sing a song that would symbolize the beginning of two of her friend's new life together. The lyrics also had a deeply personal meaning to her own love life and she glanced around the room until her eyes landed on Happy.

She sees him standing with Juice, Bobby, and Chibs. The way his eyes have darkened and his stance lets Marissa know that she is getting ready to lose him to club business. Marissa looks up as she hears her name being called. Gemma is beckoning over to the band area. Marissa takes another sip of water before standing up and making her way on the stage.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Opie Winston." The catcalls and loud applause were deafening as Lyla, now sans veil and Opie, still in his infamous cut make their way to the dance floor. Marissa nods towards the band and smiles softly as the music starts. She locks eyes with Happy and hopes that he listens carefully.

_You've got someone here_  
><em>Wants to make it all right<em>  
><em>Someone that loves you more<em>  
><em>Than life right here<em>  
><em>You've got willing arms that'll hold you tight<em>  
><em>A hand to lead you on through the night right here<em>  
><em>I know your heart can get<em>  
><em>All tangled up inside<em>  
><em>But don't you keep it to yourself<em>

_When your long day is over_  
><em>And you can barely drag your feet<em>  
><em>The weight of the world<em>  
><em>Is on your shoulders<em>  
><em>I know what you need<em>  
><em>Bring it on home to me<em>

Marissa's eyes found Jax and Tara as they seemed to be swaying in a loving embrace. Tara had her eyes closed as she allowed the lyrics to move her. She squeezed Jax a little bit tighter.

_You know I know you_  
><em>Like the back of my hand<em>  
><em>You know I'm gonna do<em>  
><em>All that I can right here<em>  
><em>Gonna lie with you<em>  
><em>Till you fall asleep<em>  
><em>When the morning comes<em>  
><em>I'm still gonna be right here<em>  
><em>Yes, I am<em>

_So take your worries and_  
><em>Just drop them at the door<em>  
><em>Baby, leave it all behind<em>

Gemma placed a hand on Clay's worn face. The years that they had spent together combined with the secrets that they fought to keep buried bonded them in ways that no one would ever understand. Clay knew that he would be nothing without his Queen and Gemma knew that Clay offered her an intense love when she was at her lowest.

_When your long day is over_  
><em>And you can barely drag your feet<em>  
><em>The weight of the world<em>  
><em>Is on your shoulders<em>  
><em>I know what you need<em>  
><em>Bring it on home to me<em>

Lyla placed her head on Opie's shoulder and closed her eyes. She prayed that she was finally going to be enough for one man. She prayed that she and Opie would grow old together and she would finally move out of Donna's shadow.

_Baby, let me be your safe harbor_  
><em>Don't let the water come<em>  
><em>And carry you away<em>

_Oh, bring it on home_  
><em>Yeah, bring it on home to me<em>  
><em>Home to me<em>  
><em>Oh, bring it on, bring it on home<em>  
><em>to me<em>

_You've got someone here wants_  
><em>To make it all right<em>  
><em>Someone that loves you more<em>  
><em>Than life right here<em>

Marissa and Happy locked eyes and it was as if there was no one else within a five mile radius. The passion and intensity that radiated from his eyes made Marissa's insides feel like they were on fire. She heard the applause surround her but she couldn't concentrate. It wasn't until Chibs placed his hand on Happy's shoulder that the couple broke eye contact. Marissa watched with a bit of disappointment as Happy turned and headed towards his bike.

* * *

><p>It was well past two in the morning when Marissa finally made it home. Happy and some of the other guys had yet to make it back so after hours of dancing, laughing and waiting, Marissa finally decided to call it a night and head home. She kicked her shoes off at the door as she started to pull the various pins out of her hair. She dropped the pins in a bowl in the living room as she fumbled with the dress until it fell off her body and hit the floor. Marissa yawned loudly as she didn't even bother to turn on the light as she just dove head first on her bed and was sleep within minutes.<p>

An hour later, Happy unlocked the door and immediately cursed loudly when he tripped. He turned on the hallway light and rolled his eyes. Happy damn near broke his neck on one of Marissa's shoes. The Russian problem had been handled in a timely and orderly fashion. Jax and Happy had taken a ride and discussed what the new badges in Charming meant for the MC. Jax didn't see them being able to get away with the same shit that they could when Unser was in charge and Jax knew that some changes needed to be done in order to keep all of their asses from going back to jail.

Happy walked towards the bedroom and couldn't help but snort at the sight in front of him. Marissa was sprawled out on the bed, lying on her back. Her long hair flowed over her chest like some sort of erotic art piece. Happy stripped of his clothes and lay gently on top of Marissa. Some time in her sleep, her hands started running over Happy's bald head. Happy kissed her crow tattoo and fell asleep with his old lady holding him tightly.

_When your long day is over_  
><em>And you can barely drag your feet<em>  
><em>The weight of the world<em>  
><em>Is on your shoulders<em>  
><em>I know what you need<em>  
><em>Bring it on home to me<em>


	20. Chapter 20

"What the hell was that?" Happy asked Jax as they walked out of church and set down at the bar.

"It's for the best, bro." Jax said as he popped open the beer bottle top.

"What about all that shit you were talking on the inside? How SAMCRO needed a change, that we need to get back to the foundation of this club and what it means? Being a goddamn mule isn't the way I thought you planned on making that happen."

"Hey. It's not like we are fucking dealing. The same rules apply: there will be no drugs in Charming." Happy rolled his eyes.

"Wheeling and dealing are the same goddamn thing and you know it." Happy was down for doing a lot of shit for the club. He didn't mind putting a bullet in someone's head or standing back with a smile as an Irishman was being tortured. One thing he did not feel comfortable with was getting involved with a drug cartel. Happy also knew from the time spent in the joint that this was not Jax's plan. Happy had to wonder what the hell is going on.

"Look, Hap: I got an old lady and two kids. This vote allows me to keep my family financially secure. It allows me to give my family everything that they want or need. I'm thinking about the future man. Tell me you don't want more for yourself. Doing this deal…making these runs is good for all of us. It gives you the money to take care of your ma and your old lady."

"At what cost?" Happy and Jax's relationship was tighter than it ever was. They were bonded together by their respective old ladies and it allowed Happy to express his concerns while knowing that he was not betraying Jax or his choices.

"Everything will be fine, bro."

"I know how these assholes work, Jax. They don't live by the same code as we do. They don't give a shit who they hurt. If this goes south, they will come after our families. After all the shit that Tara has gone through, are you really willing for something else to happen to her just so we can set up a SAMCRO retirement fund?" Before Jax could answer, the clubhouse doors opened and Marissa came inside. She smiled at the boys before handing Happy a brown bag.

"Lunch. I swung by Nikki's and got that Turkey BLT that you like."

"Thanks reina." Happy stated as Marissa took a good look at both men.

"Everything alright?" Jax smirked as he kissed Marissa on the cheek.

"Everything's fine darlin'." They all turned towards the clubhouse when a flood of officers walked in the door.

"What's this shit?" Tig asked in his normal annoyed fashion. Roosevelt smiled as he stood in front of Clay.

"Sorry to interrupt boys…and girl." Roosevelt smiled towards Marissa causing her to roll her eyes. "We are here for a fire inspection…you know, standard procedure and all."

The club and Marissa watched in horror as the new law started ripping the clubhouse to shreds and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

* * *

><p>"Jesus Christ." Marissa looked up to see Gemma walking in the room. Marissa nodded as she continued to sweep up the various debris on the ground.<p>

"Courtesy of our new boys in blue."

"Where are the guys?" Marissa nodded her head towards the closed doors.

"Church."

"What happened here?" The two women looked over to see Tara walk in. Gemma started to explain what happened as Marissa continued to clean. She looked up as the wooden doors opened and everyone started piling out.

It was a sad silence as everyone looked at the damage that had been done. They shook their head as various memories were destroyed and loitered everyone on the floor. Marissa looked over as Tara walked towards the middle of the room. Tara grabbed Jax's hand and kissed it before addressing everyone.

"I have an announcement." Tara reached in her pocket and pulled something out. "Jax and I are getting married." It was a major shock but everyone seemed to recover quickly. There were hugs and kisses given around and Marissa watched as Unser and Gemma made eye contact, looking decidedly less than thrilled.

* * *

><p>"You wanna get married?" Happy asked Marissa later on that night when they were in their bedroom.<p>

"Jesus Hap. I'm lying naked on top of you and that's what you wanna know?" Marissa felt her body tense up slightly at Happy's question.

"You didn't answer me." Happy knew that Marissa was the queen of deflection but he had to wonder if seeing Lyla married and Tara engaged didn't stir something in Marissa. They hadn't talked about the future; marriage, kids and the whole nine. Happy was never comfortable having those kinds of talks and he figured Marissa never brought up because she was still struggling with the loss of their first child.

"I never thought of it since…." Marissa ran a finger over one of the tattoos on Hap's chest. He knew that she was thinking about her dying ex. He found out from Tara that Marissa and Dante had plans on getting married. Marissa kept much of her relationship with Dante quiet and she only offered information when pressed.

"What about now?" Marissa turned her head to look Hap in the eye.

"What? You proposing or something?" Happy raised an eyebrow.

"Nah…just wanna know where you stand on the issue?" Marissa shrugged her shoulder.

"I've never really thought about it. We have been apart more times than we have been together and it's hard to plan past right now, you know what I mean? I don't need some ring and a piece of paper to know where I stand in your life." They settled into silence, each lost in their own thoughts. When Happy finally started to speak, Marissa jumped a bit in surprise.

"I'mma do everything in my power to be here, Rissa but at some point you are going finally going have that shit go. Stop holding on to the times that we were apart." Marissa moved from his embrace and climbed off the bed. She threw on one of his wife beaters and leaned against the dresser.

"I've forgiven you a long time ago for leaving and I never once blamed you for the shit that happened to me. Anthony…he was my fault. I knew that if I took that money out there was a good chance that he would show up and I chose to keep my mouth shut. I'm just talking about facts, Hap. We have been apart more than we have been together and while I don't blame you for any of that shit; it doesn't exactly make me what to plan our future." Happy looked at her tense stance and wanted to take back this whole conversation.

"What if I wanted you to wear the ring and have the piece of paper?"

"Can't we just enjoy what we have and no complicate it?" Marissa climbed back on the bed and pulled the sheets back. She grinned wickedly before she leaned down and placed him in her mouth. Happy wanted to question her, ask her why the idea of being married to him freaked her out so much when she was willing to run off and be a bride with her ex. Instead, he grabbed a hold of her hair and closed his eyes as she sucked him dry.

* * *

><p>"Congrats on the engagement babe." Marissa said the following morning as she was sharing a cup of coffee with Tara. "When you going to start making plans?" Tara shrugged.<p>

"He gave me the ring back when he first got out. I didn't say yes, I just told him I needed time. Then I saw everyone at the clubhouse and how sad they looked…"

"And you thought announcing your engagement was going to give everyone some much needed good news." Tara nodded and Marissa understood.

"Yeah well your announcement has gotten Hap talking crazy."

"What do you mean?"

"Last night he was asking me if I ever wanted to get married or some shit." Tara was a bit stunned.

"Happy doesn't strike me as the type to have the 'do we have a future' speech?"

"Me either. I guess both of us grew a vagina while we were apart." The women shared a laugh until Marissa pointed a finger in Tara's direction. "Don't ever repeat that to him."

"So what did you say?" Marissa took a sip of her coffee.

"I told him that I was content being what we are. No need to rock the boat."

"Scared of forever?" Tara asked.

"Realistic of the present. When things are good, they are fucking great but no matter how long things seem normal, the other shoe will ALWAYS find a way to drop."

"Jax says he wants out of the club." This statement threw Marissa for a loop. She never thought she would see the day where the Prince of SAMCRO would want out of his own legacy.

"Where did that come from?"

"He says it's about keeping his family safe. Giving Tommy and Abel a chance at a normal life."

"Does he really think he can just walk away from the only thing he's known his whole life?"

"He promised, Rissa. He promised me that he would get out and I need to believe that…now more than ever." Marissa titled her head and prompted Tara to explain.

"Gemma stopped by this morning. She found one of Maureen's letters in Abel's coloring book."

"Jesus Christ, Tara." Marissa shook her head and wondered how Tara could be so careless with those letters that obviously were incriminating.

"I know, I know. She asked if there were anymore and I told her no. She said that digging up the past could be very hurtful for Jax." Marissa rubbed her forehead.

"What are you going to do, Tara? Please tell me that you got rid of those fucking letters."

"I made copies and put them in my office."

"And the originals?"

"I put them in a box in storage." Marissa closed her eyes briefly.

"You know just as well as I do that Gemma doesn't buy your story that there are no more letters. She is going to be like a dog after a bone until she finds them. If you're not going to tell Jax, why not just fucking burn them? The longer they are around, the more damage they can do."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because if I was Gemma and there were skeletons coming out that I spent years burying, nothing and no one would get in my way from making sure that shit never reaches daylight."


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N: I had a dream the other night that gave me a great idea, so now I have 3 more Happy stories that I want to start writing which means I need to work harder at finishing this one and starting the Trilogy. I hope this dream gave me the kick in the ass I need._

* * *

><p>"We shouldn't be gone too long." Happy said to Marissa as everyone stood in the parking lot. The Sons were headed down to the Tucson charter to set up routes for their heroin runs. Of course, that's not the story that they all told to their old ladies. Jax and Clay had both made it vocalized that they had no intention of letting Gemma or Tara know what they were doing.<p>

Happy, on the other hand, was on the fence. He had never sugarcoated or hid his previous activities from Marissa because he knew that she could handle it. Their full disclosure policy worked well for the couple and Happy knew that Marissa wouldn't accept anything less. However, the club had never been in deep like this before and Happy didn't know if Marissa would be okay with the latest developments. He figured the ride to Tucson and back would allow him to think and make a final decision.

Marissa wrapped her arm around Happy's waist as they walked towards his bike. While she was disappointed that they were leaving town so soon after getting out, she knew that they guys needed this run to start feel like their old selves again. She kissed Happy one more time and blew a kiss at Tig before stepping back and standing next to Gemma. The two ladies stood there until the last motorcycle left the lot.

"What's in Tucson?" Marissa asked Gemma as they sat down in the office.

"Clay didn't really give me a straight answer. What did Hap tell you?"

"He just said it was about protection or some shit." Marissa picked up the list of repos sitting on her desk and started looking over them.

"Hey." Marissa looked up from the paperwork. "Have you noticed Tara acting strange lately?" Marissa knew that Gemma was fishing for information about the letter she found in Abel's coloring book and Marissa was not about to take the bait.

"No stranger than usual. I know she's been a little stressed with the boys and shit." Gemma and Marissa locked eyes, neither one them backing down. "Why? What's up?"

"Nothing. She…she just seems a little off to me." Marissa shrugged her shoulders and went back to work. _This shit is not going to end well._

* * *

><p>"Hey sweet pea." Marissa smiled as Piney walked into the clubhouse a few days later and sat down. Marissa had been battling a terrible headache and was sitting by herself while the boys were working.<p>

"Hey Piney. Haven't talked to you much lately." Marissa always had a soft spot in her heart for Piney. His old school wisdom was always helpful and Marissa always felt bad at the way some of the others were treating him as he continued to get older. They got even closer during the fourteen months that the boys were away.

However, she hadn't had a chance to talk to Piney since he advised her to get the hell out Charming and away from SAMCRO. Plus Marissa was trying to stay far away from the detective duo that was Piney and Tara.

"How you feeling?" Marissa asked as she patted his arm.

"Oh I'm good darlin; you know there is not much that could keep me down." Marissa nodded as they both seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. After a few moments, Marissa looked around to make sure they were alone before speaking.

"Tara's in over her head." Piney jerked his head towards the young woman before releasing a quick bark of laughter.

"Shouldn't be surprised she went to you. She tell you everything?"

"She told me enough and I don't think I want to know anymore. Her theories are just that…theories. There is no concrete evidence to prove shit." Marissa took a deep breath before continuing. It was time that someone started thinking clearly before it was too late. "There is no sense in rattling cages and digging up skeletons on a hunch."

"You want us to drop it?"

"I want you guys to think things fully through before you take this shit any further."

"Sweet pea, there is some serious problems in this club right now, more than ever before. Clay is on a goddamn power trip that could possibly destroy the very same thing that I helped build. I can't watch that happen." Marissa sighed knowing there was no way to talk Piney out of this. She said a quick prayer for the man that this anger doesn't get him killed. She slid off the bar stool and kissed Piney on the cheek.

"Tara is not a member of this club. She doesn't vote or wear a patch. I hope that your way of trying to get this club back on track doesn't come at the expense of Jax's Old Lady."

* * *

><p>"Hey baby." Marissa said as she looked up from her book as Happy walked in the room. She titled her head up to receive a kiss before Happy flopped down in the chair across the room.<p>

"You alright? You look exhausted."

"Yeah…it's just been a long couple of weeks." Marissa glanced at the clock and noticed it was only after 11.

"I thought you had a late one tonight?"

"We left the prospects and Juice overseeing the merchandise over night." Marissa raised an eyebrow at Happy's choice of words but didn't comment. Happy ran a ringed hand over his face before leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees.

"Marissa, I gotta tell you something." Happy got up to leave the room. When he came back, he was carrying a duffel bag and placed it at Marissa's feet. She unzipped the bag and gasped at the stack of money that was lying inside. She glanced up towards Happy with a questioning stare. Happy sat back down and took a deep breath.

"A couple of weeks ago, the club took a vote on how to earn more. We made a deal to do some runs for a guy named Romeo…he is a member of the Galindo cartel."

"Cartel? I thought SAMCRO was anti-drugs. You guys are dealing now?" Marissa was in shock and disbelief. It was one thing to be running guns, but dealing with a drug cartel was a whole different level of dangerous.

"We're not dealing." Happy assured her. "We're just doing some runs for them."

"Jesus Christ Hap, it's practically the same shit." Marissa ran a hand through her head. She looked up at Happy.

"You can't possibly want this shit." Happy shrugged.

"It's good for the club." He didn't bother to tell her that he voted no at the redwood. He watched her eyes flash with anger.

"At what fucking cost? If this shit goes south, NONE of us are going to be safe. You are not going to be able to lock everyone in the clubhouse and think that shit will be okay. Jesus Christ." Marissa felt the walls starting to cave in. Between those fucking letters and now this, it seemed like SAMCRO was falling apart on both ends. Marissa stood up and started to pace.

She assumed that neither Gemma nor Tara knew because she would have damn sure heard about this before now. Well at least she knew that Tara didn't know…Gemma on the other hand would keep her mouth shut if she thinks it would be a good move for the club.

"You're overreacting. Everything will be fine." Marissa snorted.

"Do you really believe that shit? Fuck." Happy understood her worry; hell, he had the same thoughts himself. However, he was not getting ready to sit back and let her just talk to him anyway she wanted to.

"Hey." Happy barked as he stood up. The intensity in his raspy voice made Marissa stop in her tracks and stare wide-eyed at him. "I told you what was going on but I'm not asking for your fucking opinion. It's club business and despite what you think, you are not a member of this club. You are just an old lady." The anger is his voice made Marissa recoil like she had just been slapped.

"If you didn't want my opinion, then why did you fucking tell me?"

"Because I have been honest with you since day one and I'm honoring our arrangement. Don't make me fucking regret telling you this shit Marissa." Happy warned.

"Go to hell." Before the sentence was fully out of her mouth, Happy was across the room and grabbed her upper arm tightly. It was clear that this cartel shit was not only tearing the club apart but it was going to have a fucked up toll on his relationship.

"Watch your mouth Marissa. I'm not in the mood for your fucking attitude. You do not want to piss me off right now." Happy watched as fear was evident in Marissa's eyes. He let go of her arm as he had just been burned. He looked in slight horror as her upper arm had an imprint of his hand. He ran a hand over his face as he listened to Marissa breathing heavily.

He went to walk closer to Marissa and she flinched at his movements. Happy couldn't help but think back to the last time he saw that kind of fear on her face. It was the night that he had allowed his Tacoma Vice President Sonny get in his head and he took his anger out on Marissa. He remembered the spiteful words that he spit at her and throwing his cologne bottle to smash right next to her on the wall. When he went back to Tacoma, he spent two months seeing that scared face every time he closed his eyes.

When he came back to Charming and they finally worked through their shit, he made a vow to himself that he would never again be the cause of fear washing over Marissa. Now as he looked at her, he realized that he had broken that promise. He walked towards the door. He turned back to look at Marissa who had her eyes glued to the floor.

"I'm going to go stay at the clubhouse for awhile." Marissa waited until she heard the roar of his motorcycle before she stumbled to the floor and allowed the tears to fall.


	22. Chapter 22

The following morning, Marissa lay in her bed with her eyes open. Sleep hadn't come easily for her and she spent most of the night tossing and turning. She replayed the events of last night over and over in her head as if it was a movie that she couldn't turn the hell off. She glanced at the clock and sighed. She had to get up and head to work soon. Under normal circumstances, Marissa would have called out but it was the last business day of the month and it was going to be a busy day.

Marissa got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. On her route, she passed the floor length mirror and stopped. Her eyes were puffy from crying and lack of sleep and the bruise on her arm was officially purple and Marissa could make out Happy's finger prints.

It took Marissa nearly an hour and a half to finally make it to the garage. She kept getting sidetracked with her own thoughts. She smiled slightly as she saw Gemma and Tara outside talking. She readjusted her glasses and walked towards the pair. She said hello as she plucked Tommy from Tara's arms. One thing Marissa had learned was that everything seemed a little brighter when she was holding the baby. She loved both Abel and Tommy equally but being present for Tommy's birth had given Marissa and the baby an intense bond.

"Shit." Gemma exclaimed as a taxi pulled up in front of them.

"Who's that?" Tara asked as a young woman stepped out of the cab.

"Half of Satan's spawn." Gemma plastered a fake smile on her face as the young woman approached to hug Gemma. After a few words were exchanged Tara spoke up.

"Hey. I'm Tara."

"Marissa." Marissa watched as the woman scrunched up her face in disgust before giving them a vague greeting. Considering the mood Marissa was in, it was taking everything in her power not to smack the shit out the girl.

"Where's your sister?" Marissa watched as the younger woman started to cry on command and claim that she needed her "daddy". Gemma handed the woman off to Chucky and instructed that she wait in the clubhouse.

"Who is that?" Marissa asked.

"That is the reason why mothers should drown baby girls…also known as Dawn."

"Dawn? As in Tig's kid Dawn?" Gemma nodded and Marissa cursed under her breath. She handed the kid back to Tara and pulled out her cell phone. "I'll try to get in touch with Tig."

The three ladies walked into the clubhouse and greeted Piney. The older man turned towards Marissa.

"Noticed your old man stayed here last night. Everything alright?" Tara placed the baby in his carrier.

"Happy stayed at the clubhouse? Is everything alright?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Rissa…." Marissa held up her hand.

"Tara, I'm begging you…drop this shit please." Marissa walked behind the bar and grabbed a bottle of water. She looked up when she heard Tara address someone.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Marissa looked over to see Ima, the head whore, walking in from one of the back rooms.

"I was a guest."

"Who's?" Marissa knew that Tara was thinking back to when she caught Jax in bed with Ima before Belfast. Back then it was Jax's way of trying to scare Tara away. Marissa highly doubted that Jax would be crazy enough to hurt Tara again, especially with their recent engagement. However, seeing Ima come out of one of the rooms the morning after Happy had left was making Marissa's heart pound in her ears.

Marissa watched as Gemma and Tara verbally tag-teamed the girl before Tara all but ran out of the clubhouse. Marissa put her water bottle down as she and Gemma quickly went after her with Gemma instructing Piney to look after the kid.

"Did Jax come home last night?" Gemma asked.

"That's not the point. She shouldn't be here." Tara was going to continue her rant but stalled when she saw Lyla heading their way. "Great…here comes another one."

"Be nice." Gemma warned.

"Have you guys seen Opie?"

"No. I think he's with the guys." Gemma looked as Lyla's face fell. "Everything alright darling?"

"It's just…he never came home last night." The three women glanced at each other.

"I think they had a late one last night. He probably just crashed here." Marissa and Tara nodded in agreement.

"There's just been a lot of distance between us."

"Lizard brain baby. It happens to all men after they get married. Give it time; I'm sure everything will be alright." Lyla nodded and walked past them.

"That felt shitty." Tara exclaimed.

"Not our business."

"Why the hell would Opie sleep with that bitch?"

"Unless it was Happy." Marissa opened up her mouth and let her fear known. The two women looked at Marissa.

"What's going on baby?" Gemma asked and Marissa shrugged as Bobby and Tig pulled up.

"Hap and I had a fight…a bad one. What better way to release some anger then by having your own personal cum rag for the night?"

"Happy wouldn't do that to you." Marissa shrugged as Tig pointed towards the door.

"She looking for Opie?" The three women watched as Lyla started to stalk towards the clubhouse.

"Shit." They all started to run and they walked in just in time to see Ima pull a gun on a hysterically crying Lyla. _Guess it wasn't Hap._ Marissa thought to herself with a sigh of relief. Lyla ran out and Ima left after a warning from Tara. Tara quickly scooped up Tommy and left. Marissa watched as Tig hugged his daughter tightly and she couldn't shake the feeling that Dawn was up to no good.

* * *

><p>Marissa looked up from her paperwork when Gemma walked inside the office and shut the door. She sat down on the couch as Marissa leaned back in her chair.<p>

"Just got off the phone with Opie. He's on his way, although I don't know how he plans on fixing this shit."

"Maybe he doesn't want to."

"Why do you say that?"

"Come on Gemma. Out of all the pussy he could have had, he slept with Ima who has the biggest fucking mouth on the west coast. He knew that shit was going to get back to Lyla one way or another."

"Think he's regretting marrying her?"

"I think that his plan to find the anti-Donna is starting to bite him in the ass." Donna had died before Marissa came to Charming but she had heard plenty of stories and seen numerous pictures of Opie's former wife. "Everything about Lyla from her hair to her look to her job is the complete antithesis to what Donna was. I think Opie was looking to Lyla to help him move on but he has never really dealt with Donna's death and now Lyla is paying the price."

"Did you really think it was Hap that the gash was fucking last night?"

"I don't know anything anymore. Shit is all types of fucked up right now." Marissa's sentence held many meanings.

"I gotta tell you something." Marissa looked at Gemma. "I found out that the guys are running drugs for some big time Mexican cartel." Gemma got a good look at Marissa and couldn't help but notice her complete lack of emotion. "Jesus Christ, you already know don't you? Is that why Happy is staying at the clubhouse?"

"He told me last night. Needless to say, the shit didn't sit well with me and he left before things really got out of hand." Marissa tried to minimize the fight because she wasn't ready to share what happened with anyone.

"At least he trusted you enough to tell you. I had to hear it from Piney." Gemma's tone was beyond bitter.

"Clay didn't tell you?" That definitely surprised Marissa. She thought that Clay would have confided in Gemma, considering how their relationship worked.

"Nope. I guess Piney thought by telling me, I could talk some sense into Clay…maybe get him to stop this shit, but it didn't work. Clay turned on me, said some harsh shit and reminded me of my place in this world."

"As just an old lady?" Marissa asked and Gemma nodded. "Yeah, I got that same response."

"Jax's trying to keep this shit from Tara. Says she won't be able to handle it."

"I don't plan on telling her." Marissa said and she meant it. She didn't want to think about this drug shit. She didn't even want to be having this conversation with Gemma.

"What are you going to do about Happy?" Gemma asked as they both turned to see Opie pull up. Marissa sighed deeply.

"I have no fucking idea."

* * *

><p>Marissa walked towards Dawn who was sitting by herself at a picnic table. Marissa sat down across from the young girl and Dawn quickly had an attitude.<p>

"Can I help you?"

"Gemma just got a call. Turns out there ain't shit wrong with your sister. Which makes me wonder what the hell you need that twelve grand for."

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm someone that loves your father very much and I don't take too kindly when people try to take advantage of him, blood or not."

"Look bitch, this has nothing to do with you." Marissa raised.

"Call me a bitch one more time and I don't care whose fucking kid you are, I will reach across this table and rearrange your face." Marissa's emotions were all over the place and she was not in the mood to deal with this shit.

"You know nothing about the relationship between my father and myself." Marissa shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe not but I do know something about manipulative little bitches. I just wanted to give you a heads up that Gemma has every intention of telling Tig the truth." Marissa paused for a second. "But you and I both know that he's going to give you the cash."

"Why do you say that?" Dawn asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Because your father would rather you show up and use him than not show up at all. So as long as he gives you money, it's a damn near guarantee that your greedy ass will be back for more. Look, your father has a lot of shit with him and I won't even try to justify some of his actions. But at the end of the day, beneath all those layers, Tig is a great man. Maybe it's about time you let go of that "bitter daddy issues" bullshit and actually try to give him a chance."

"Why the fuck do you even care?"

"I don't give a shit about you but I love your father in ways that you could never even imagine. I would give my life to offer him a little bit of happiness or peace of mind. People change, years of mistakes has a way of doing that to a person. Tig isn't the same guy he was ten years ago. He knows that he made mistakes when it came to you girls but how the fuck can he make shit right if you don't give him the chance?" Marissa stood up and left Dawn to her thoughts.

* * *

><p>"He gave her the money." Gemma whispered to Marissa several hours as they stood back and watched Daddy and daughter share a hug goodbye. The sun was starting to set and Marissa had yet to see Happy. All the drama that occurred had allowed Marissa to put her thoughts and feelings on the backburner and focus on something else. Now as the day was winding down, Marissa was back to thinking about Happy and only Happy.<p>

"I'm not surprised." Marissa walked towards Tig when the cab finally pulled away. She placed a hand on his arm and he quickly hugged her to his side while he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"You alright?" Tig cleared his throat.

"Yeah, Hurricane. I'm good." Marissa's heart ached for Tig. She wasn't lying when she told Dawn that she would give her life for Tig. He had been her constant anchor when shit was in a bad place. She didn't know if she would have survived without him in her life. Tig's pre-pay rang and he walked away to answer.

Marissa watched as Tig became more and more tense with each passing minute. He finally hung up the phone. "SHIT! GEMMA." Gemma turned around and quickly walked up to Tig.

"What's up Tigger?"

"Call the doc. Tell her to get here as soon as she can."

"What's going on? What happened?" Tig took a deep breath.

"Juice was shot."


	23. Chapter 23

Marissa sat at the head of the table and ran her hand up and down Juice's Mohawk. It was very reminiscent of the way a mother would comfort her child. When the guys brought Juice in, it was obvious that some serious shit had gone down. There were whispered conversations in various corners and a rift was evident to anyone with half a brain. Marissa focused her attention on Juice as Tara began the task of patching him up. She couldn't help but notice the strain on Juice's face. Marissa hoped Gemma was making some progress in trying to figure out what the hell happened.

Marissa paused her repetitive actions and glanced up at Chibs. He had been awfully quiet since sitting in the room. Chibs stared at Juice wordlessly as if he was trying to read the young man's thoughts. Even when Tara assured Chibs she didn't need any help, he refused to leave the room.

"Rissa." Marissa looked towards the door to see Gemma gesturing to her. She kissed Juice on the top of his head and assured him that she would be right back. She stepped outside the room and couldn't help but notice that some of the guys were missing, including Happy. She turned to follow Gemma.

"Where are you two going?" Clay's question seemed to halt all conversations and turn everyone's attention to the two females.

"Bathroom." Gemma offered with a bit of an attitude. Clay snickered to himself.

"Jesus Christ. I'll never understand why chicks feel the need to go to the bathroom in groups. What happened? Ain't no one ever teach you guys how to wipe your own ass?" Marissa could literally feel the rage coming off of Gemma without even having to look at her.

"Oh we know how to wipe our own asses. I just figured Gemma could help me remove my tampon…you know, just in case I have to smack somebody in the face with it." The guys groaned loudly.

"Fuck Hurricane. I don't want to here that shit." The two women walked towards one of the back bathrooms and quickly locked themselves inside.

"Miles is dead." Miles was one of the new ones, freshly fully patched.

"What the hell happened?"

"Juice killed him." That bit of information literally made Marissa's head spin. She had to grab the sink to remain upright. Out of every member of this club, Juice was the least violent of them all. Half the time, the kid was downright innocent compared to the others.

"What the hell happened?"

"There was a brick missing. Tig said Juice caught Miles with it and Miles shot Juice before Juice killed him."

"FUCK" Marissa roared. "You know this is just the beginning. This drug shit is going to tear this club apart."

"There is nothing any of us can do. Clay is not listening to me." Marissa was growing increasingly frustrated with Clay's actions.

"So what is he going to do? Just keep being stubborn until everyone fucking has to die? Something needs to be done Gemma." Marissa grabbed the door and yanked it open. She stalked back towards the main room and stopped in her tracks so suddenly that Gemma almost ran into the back of her. Marissa's eyes connected with Happy's as they both stood rooted in their spot. Before either one could do anything, they heard a scream of agony come from Juice and Marissa ran back in the room.

She resumed her spot at the table and focused all of her energy on taking care of Juice. After all, it was the only thing she had control over anymore.

* * *

><p>It had been another restless night for Marissa when she went home. Tara had given Juice a good amount of drugs and after she was done patching him up, the guys carried his sleeping form into his back room. Marissa didn't want to stick around any longer than necessary so she headed home without saying a word to anyone.<p>

She spent the night lying in her bed, listening for the roaring sound of a motorcycle. It never came and by the time the sun rose, Marissa was a little more heartbroken than the night before. She swung out of bed and decided to take a mental day away from Charming. She had all intentions of driving up the coast in an effort to clear her head.

Marissa was pulling her hair back in a side braid when her cell phone. She rolled her eyes but answered it. The last thing she needed was a search party being sent for her because she refused to answer her phone. She was sad, not stupid.

"Yeah?"

"You need to get to Jax's baby." Gemma's voice sounded frantic and Marissa wondered what in the hell could go wrong. It took her less than five minutes to pull up in front of the modest sized house. She walked in the door to find Tara pacing the kitchen while Gemma leaned on the sink with a piece of paper in her hands.

"What's going on?" Gemma handed Marissa the paper and she scanned it quickly. "A death threat? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"I'm going to call the cops."

"NO." Gemma and Marissa exclaimed at the same time.

"Normal people call the cops when there are death threats placed in their car."

"You don't have a normal life baby. If this is about the club, the last thing they need is to give the cops more reason to sniff up their asses."

"Does Jax know?" Tara shook her head.

"I haven't been able to get a hold of him." Marissa racked her brain as she tried to come up with a temporary solution. She turned towards Gemma.

"Get the prospects over here. Do you have plans today?" Gemma shook her head. "Can you stay with Tara while I try to get a hold of the boys?"

"I have to go to work." Marissa looked at Tara as if she had sprouted a second head. "My job is the one thing that is mine."

"Like you just said, there was a death threat placed in your car. The last thing we need is for you to be out unprotected before Jax even has a fucking clue about what is going. Take a personal day, Tara." She hugged her best friend tightly and nodded at Gemma before running out the door.

* * *

><p>"Where's Juice?" Marissa asked Piney.<p>

"Don't know sweet pea. He said he had some errands to run." Marissa rubbed her temples. Why would the kid be running errands by himself the day after he gets shot? "Is everything alright?"

"I need to get a hold of Jax and he's not answering his phone."

"Try calling Happy. I think they are all together." Marissa knew that the logical thing would have been to call Happy but her intense stubborn streak was making her hesitant. She tapped her fingers on the bar as she weighed the pros and cons of the situation. Finally, the urgency for Jax to know what was going on took over Marissa's personal shit. She pulled out her phone and hit the speed dial.

"Yeah?" Happy asked as his way of greeting. Marissa closed her eyes at the sound of his voice but forced herself to remain strong.

"I need to talk to Jax and he's not picking up the pre-pay."

"He's busy."

"This is important. I need to talk to him sooner rather than later." She heard Happy sigh deeply.

"Hold on." He barked at her and she couldn't help but feel the distance. After less than 48 hours, she wondered if her relationship was going to survive this latest crisis.

"Marissa? It's not a good time." Jax stated.

"You need to get home and see Tara. Someone put a death threat in her car."

"What? SHIT. Is she alright?"

"She's freaked Jax and I don't know what to do." She heard Jax explain to the rest of the guys the situation and after a few moments, he got back on the phone.

"Get my mom, Tara, Lyla and the kids and head to the clubhouse. I don't want any of you leaving until we get there." Marissa looked at her phone as Jax hung up on her.

* * *

><p>A little while later, Marissa walked back into the clubhouse with a somber look on her face.<p>

"I thought you were supposed to go get Lyla." Gemma said from her spot on the couch where she was playing with Abel. Tara had a death grip on Tommy and she wouldn't take her eyes off of him.

"Um…about that…she's gone."

"What the hell do you mean she's gone?"

"I went to Caracara and they said she never showed up for work today. I swung by the house and there was no one there. I got in through a back window and her shit is gone. It looked a damn tornado hit the bedroom."

"Shit. This is going to destroy Opie." Gemma stood up. "I have a couple of numbers. I will try to see if I can figure out where she went." Gemma patted Marissa on the shoulder as she walked towards the office. Marissa took the seat that Gemma vacated and ruffled Abel's hair.

"This is a sign Marissa. This is a sign that I need to get my family out of this poisonous town before it kills everyone I love." Marissa sighed deeply.

"We don't know for sure this is about the club." The sentence sounded stupid coming from Marissa's mouth but she had to say something. "How do we know it's not a pissed off patient with a bad HMO plan? Or that whore bitch Ima? When I was at Caracara, I happened to notice some busted up her face pretty nicely. One of the girls told me it was courtesy of Jax." Tara scoffed.

"Do you really believe that a patient or some porn slut would really go through all the trouble of threatening to kill me? You and I both know this is about the club. It's ALWAYS about this damn club." Tara looked back down at Tommy before speaking again. "I want more. My kids deserve more. I want out of this damn town now."

* * *

><p>It was dark outside before the guys finally came out of church. Piney had left hours earlier saying he was headed towards the cabin. Marissa couldn't help but notice that he was frequenting his favorite drinking hole more and more often lately.<p>

The women couldn't help but hear the shouting that was going on inside the room. Clay stormed out of the room, with a pissed off expression on his face and Gemma quickly went to comfort him. Marissa watched from behind the bar as Jax made a beeline for Tara and the kids. Marissa sighed to herself as she picked up her purse and headed towards the door.

"Where the hell are you going?" Happy's deep voice echoed through the room, causing everyone to automatically stop what they were doing. Everyone was aware that something was going on between Happy and Marissa but no one knew what. All they knew was that Happy had spent the past two nights in his old dorm and Marissa was avoiding him like the plague.

"Home."

"The hell you are." Marissa turned back to face Happy. "With everything going on, you are not going home by yourself." Happy's demanding voice sent Marissa into a tailspin. Her emotions were all over the place and the anger radiating through her body was on the verge of spilling out.

She slammed her purse back down on the bar and took a few deep breaths in order to gain some control. In a move that shocked everyone, including herself, Marissa picked up a bar stool and threw it directly at Happy. Happy moved just in time as everyone stood in shock.

"I'm getting so sick and tired of this caveman bullshit from you. This misogynistic asshole bad ass biker shit where I'm just supposed to sit back and do as I'm told. I don't know if maybe you forgot exactly who the hell I am but as long as you have known me, when have I ever bowed down and fell in line like some good little solider? Old lady or not, that has never been me. So if that's what you are looking for now, I suggest you go looking for someone else because I am DONE being disrespected by you." Marissa's rage was so strong that she was literally shaking from head to toe. She turned around and headed back towards the front door.

"Don't you dare walk away from me Marissa!" Happy roared.

"Get fucked." Marissa yelled but refused to turn around. Before she could open the door, she felt herself being pulled back by her arm. She struggled to remove herself from Happy's grasp.

"GET OFF ME!" Her screaming caused Happy to grip her tighter. "Is this what you are going to start doing now? Manhandling me? Maybe beat me into submission? Is this really the man that you want to start being? You are becoming so fucking pathetic." Happy growled as he roughly let Marissa go. He used so much force that her back connected with the wood door hard and tears automatically sprung to her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey. That's enough." Tig quickly moved in between the couple as everyone continued to stare with wide eyes. Tig turned towards Happy. "You need to go for a ride, clear your fucking head man."

"This is between me and my old lady." Tig quickly got in Happy's face.

"Do you remember what I told you would happen if you don't do right by her? We all got a lot of shit going on and you need to walk away from this now before you do something you regret." Happy and Tig stared each other down, neither one moving. Chibs gently grabbed Marissa and took her in one of the back rooms. After a few tense moments, Happy finally backed off and stormed out of the room, slamming the door in the process.


	24. Chapter 24

_AN: I love every single review that I ever get for this story. You guys motivate to write and be productive. Your kind words and reviews help to fuel my muse. I want to especially thank "moods424" for leaving me her first review to this story. Your words were beautiful and touched me deeply. I love when I can get new readers to not only love but review. I hope you all continue this long and dramatic ride with me. Thank you and I hope all of you had a great Holiday._

* * *

><p>Marissa was hysterical when Chibs brought her back to Tig's dorm room. She was shaking beyond her control and finding it hard to form a sentence through her tears. Marissa had been known for her strength but she acknowledged that she had officially reached her breaking point. Belfast, jail, those fucking letters and now this drug cartel shit was too much for Marissa and she was on the verge of losing her mind.<p>

"It's going to be alright love." Chibs reassured her while holding her in his arms. "Tiggy's right. We are all a little out of sorts lately but we all know how important you are to Happy. There is no way that he would hurt you on purpose."

"Then why does he keep doing it?" Marissa cried out. Chibs looked up as the door opened and Tig walked in. The two men had a silent conversation with their eyes before Chibs kissed Marissa's forehead and passed her off to Tig. Marissa quickly placed her head in the crook of Tig's neck as she continued to cry. Tig didn't need to offer her any words right now. Instead he just let her cry as he held her. About an hour passed before Marissa's breathing started to become labored. Tig moved a strand of her hair back and realized that she had fallen asleep.

Tig gently picked her up and placed her on his bed. He unbuttoned her plaid shirt in order to make her more comfortable and allow the chance to make sure her back was okay. When he peeled the shirt away, leaving her in a tank top, Tig's eyes darkened.

There were two bruises on Marissa's arm: one that he knew came from tonight and one that looked like it had been there for a few days. He held his breath as Marissa turned over in her sleep. He started breathing again when he noticed that she wasn't waking up. Tig pulled the back of her tank top up and winced at the large knob shaped bruise on her spine.

Tig felt blind rage as he walked out of the room and made it back to the main area.

"She alright?" Gemma asked.

"She passed out on me but she is far from alright. What the hell is going on?" Tara shook her head.

"I don't know. All she said was that she and Happy had a fight. She didn't offer any details." Tig turned back to Gemma.

"Do you know something?" Gemma shook her head and Tig wasn't completely convinced but he let it go. Tig looked around and counted bodies.

"Where's Jax?"

"He went after Happy just in case he did something stupid and got himself hurt." Tig nodded his head and cracked his knuckles.

"The prince better hope he can get through to him because when Happy comes back, him and I going in that fucking ring."

* * *

><p>Happy heard the engine to a bike cut off but he didn't move from his spot at a park about 20 miles outside of Charming. He heard the footprints coming closer and it wasn't until the person sat down next to him did Happy look up. Jax lit a joint and passed to Happy, who took it without saying a word.<p>

"You wanna tell me what the hell that shit was back there?" Jax asked.

"Like I told Tig: it's between me and my old lady." Happy responded in a warning tone. "I don't get involved in your shit with Tara."

"Tara and I have never had a public blowout like that before. You know you can talk to me, Hap. What's going on?" Happy sighed as he played with the rings on his hands for a few moments before speaking.

"I told her about this cartel shit."

"Jesus Christ, why would you do that?"

"I don't keep secrets from my old lady. Last time there was secrets between us, she ended up in the hospital and our baby was fucking dead. When we got back together, I promised her to always be straight up about what's going on. I kept that promise." Jax exhaled sharply.

"So all that was about us running for the Galindo's?"

"She didn't like the idea when I told her. She started getting mouthy and I snapped on her. Grabbed her arm and started yelling. She looked so fucking scared, man. I never wanted her to look at me like that. So I left the house, figured I give us a few days to cool down. Then she just fucking walks away tonight like she forgets that she is MY old lady. She disrespects me in front of my brothers and I lost it." Jax snorted.

"No shit. I will say this: girl has got a hell of an arm." Happy smirked as he thought back to just barely missing that bar stool that was aimed directly for his head. Happy groaned as he leaned forward.

"I don't know what to do brother. I'm not fully on board with this cartel shit and you know that. Now with Bobby pressing a leadership vote and everyone fighting within the club…I guess the shit just started to pile in to my home."

"It's damn near impossible to keep home and club separate. So what are you going to do man? You just going to let her go or are you going to fight for her?"

"I'm fucking tired of fighting with her."

"I didn't say fight with her. I said fight for her." Jax knew that Happy hated having these types of conversations but Jax was going to try his damndest to get through to his brother. "When you left her the last time and went to Tacoma, that shit almost destroyed you. I talked to some of the guys, heard about your month long drinking and orgy bullshit. They said you were getting reckless, fighting people over small shit. That shit ain't you."

Happy remained silent. He had no idea that anyone was aware of how fucked up he had been when he went back to Washington. He was pissed at himself for letting some broad get under his skin and yet he couldn't ever get her off his mind.

"There is a reason why most of the guys in the MC can't keep an old lady. It takes a rare kind of woman to handle all the shit that is thrown our way. Marissa is perfect for you. When Abel got kidnapped and I was pissed at Tara, you told me to think before I did something drastic. Now I'm telling you the same thing. You need to make this shit right."

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Happy and Jax pulled back into the parking lot. They were surprised to see all the bikes and cars still there. Guess no one wanted to finish watching the soap opera that was getting ready to unfold. Tig was standing outside the door waiting. Jax looked at Happy who nodded before walking inside.<p>

"You got something you wanna say brother?" Happy asked. He knew how important Marissa was to Tig but he was not in the mood to be lectured by the man. Tig shook his head.

"Nah I ain't got shit to say but I do think you and I need to work some things out." Happy nodded.

"Ring?"

"Ring." The two walked inside and quickly headed towards the ring. Bobby was the first to realize what was getting ready to go down and soon everyone was gathering around the squared ring to watch the fight unfold.

"This is not going to be good." Bobby muttered.

"What do we do?" Chibs asked. Clay sat back and pulled out a cigar.

"We let them work it out. Just make sure they don't kill each other." The fight started immediate and blood came quickly. Neither men were going to back down and it had all the makings of being an ugly sight.

"We need to stop this." Tara whispered to Gemma. Gemma was getting ready to respond when Tig landed a right jab to Happy's mouth causing the bald man to spit out blood.

"I'll be right back." Gemma practically ran back towards the dorms. She entered Tig's room and threw on the light causing Marissa to sit up and gasp.

"What's going on?"

"You need to come with me baby." Marissa was slightly disoriented as she didn't even remember falling asleep in the first place.

"What happened?"

"Tig and Happy are getting ready to kill each other and Clay doesn't look like he has any plans to stop them." Marissa went wide eyed as she scrambled to get out of the bed. She didn't care that she was barefoot as she ran full force to the ring. She stopped and watched as the blows went back and forth and showed no signs of ending anytime. Marissa pushed her way past everyone and climbed in the ring.

"STOP IT!" Marissa screamed. "BOTH OF YOU PLEASE!"

"You got no business stopping this fight baby girl." Marissa turned around and glared at Clay.

"Considering this fight is about me and not the club, it is my business." Marissa turned back towards Happy. "Can I talk to you?" Happy nodded shortly and went to get out the ring when Marissa grabbed his arm. He turned back to look at her.

"What?"

"You know shit in this ring doesn't end like this." Marissa looked at Tig and pleaded with her eyes. The two men sized each other up. They both loved Marissa in equal yet different ways. They finally hugged it out and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Happy continued out of the ring and headed back towards his dorm room. Marissa touched Tig's cheek which was starting to bruise.

"I don't want to be the cause of you fighting with your brother."

"He shouldn't have put his hands on you Hurricane." Marissa went into full on Gemma mode.

"I was out of line. I got a lot shit running through my head and I've been taking it out on him. I guess I had gotten used to you guys being in jail, being the one that takes care of everything that it's been a adjustment allowing him to take over again."

"Are you sure?" Marissa nodded.

"He startled me when he grabbed me but I don't believe he meant it." Marissa was shocked at how easily she was able to lie and spin this situation. Marissa pulled Tig into a tight hug and felt the tension leave his body. Tig leaned down and whispered so that she was the only one that heard him.

"If he puts his hands on you again, accident or not, brother or not: I will kill him." Marissa smiled softly before climbing out of the ring.

* * *

><p>She walked into Happy's dorm and saw him washing up in the bathroom sink. He left the door open and Marissa could see the blood stained wife beater lying on the floor. She sat in the chair and pulled her legs up Indian style. She placed her head in her hands as she tried to figure out how to approach this situation.<p>

Marissa looked up when she heard the water shut off. Happy leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his bare chest.

"I'm sorry I threw the barstool at you. I don't know what came over me." Happy walked towards the bed and sat down across from her.

"I shouldn't have scared you; tonight or the other night. I don't ever want you to be scared of me Marissa." Marissa took a deep breath as she tried to blink back her tears.

"I don't know what to do Hap. I don't want this cartel thing to tear us apart but I don't know how I can get behind this. I know first hand how things work in that world. The mob and the cartel are damn near one in the same. I can't…I can't have you dying in my arms. I won't survive losing you." Happy never thought about things from that perspective. Now that she said something, things were starting to make more sense. The mob was responsible for taking her first love and she feared the cartel would take him.

"Come here." Happy said and Marissa slowly stood up and allowed Happy to grab her hand. He placed her on his lap and he gently kissed the two bruises on her arm and Marissa felt tears hit the back of her eyes.

"I can't make you any promises. I can't guarantee you my safety anymore now than I could before but this thing that is going on, it's just a temporary fix to get us back up and on own feet. I'm going to tell you something. Tonight Bobby challenged Clay for the gavel. We vote tomorrow."

"Do you think Bobby actually has a shot?" Happy shrugged.

"I don't know. The guys are having a hard time excepting some new changes so they may vote for Bobby in order to try to restore shit. We only have a few more runs and then we are supposed to be done this. I don't see anyone wanting to continue this. The money doesn't mean shit if it is going to cost us the club."

"Clay is out of control, Hap." She wanted to tell Happy about the letters, Tara's theory and Piney's involvement but she knew that she wouldn't. As long as no one else got hurt, she figured she could continue to keep her mouth shut.

"Look, I'm going to stay here for awhile. Give us time to deal with our own shit." Marissa wanted to protest. She wanted to beg Happy to take her home and fuck her until they couldn't see straight. She wanted to ask him to take her to the beach and hold her as the breeze surrounds them like a security blanket. Instead she pushed herself off of him and stood up.

"You can't keep leaving me."

"I ain't leaving."

"Yes you are. Whether you are going to Tacoma or staying here, every time we have a fight you leave. We can't fix what is going on with us if we are apart."

"Rissa, I'm not going anywhere."

"You need to come home. You need to be with me." Marissa fought the urge to pull her hair out. "Lyla left Opie. No note, no nothing. She packed her shit and left because he's been going through some things and decided to stay at the clubhouse and fuck Ima."

"I'm not fucking anyone."

"That's not the point Happy. The longer we stay apart, the harder it's going to be for us. Opie didn't go home. He didn't fight to save his marriage and now his wife is gone. The ink is barely dry on their marriage certificate and she fucking left because he took the easy way out." Marissa grabbed Happy's face in her heads and looked him directly in the eye.

"I'm not okay with all of these changes and I don't know if I will ever be okay with it but I need you home. I need you to put your arms around me at night so that I know you are safe. I need to hear you heartbeat so I know that you are alive and well. You can't give me that staying in this dorm. Please Happy." Marissa begged. Happy couldn't remember a time in the three years that he had known her to be so exposed and vulnerable. He leaned forward and kissed her soundly on the mouth.

"Let's go home."


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N: This chapter is half filler/half comedic relief. The next few chapters are going to be really intense so I figured we could all use a little laugh. Enjoy_

* * *

><p>"Hey." Marissa said the following morning when she walked into the office. Gemma immediately stood up and went to hug Marissa.<p>

"Hey baby. You alright?" Marissa nodded.

"For now. I'm just…I gotta take this shit one day at a time." Both women turned towards the window as Piney pulled into the lot.

"I should have known he wasn't going to phone this vote in." Marissa looked at Gemma.

"Are you worried about Clay having to give up the gavel?" Gemma moved from the window.

"I don't know Rissa. I don't know much of shit anymore to be honest with you." Gemma put her glasses back on and tried to get some work done as Marissa continued to stand at the window and watch everyone head towards the clubhouse. She was still standing there when a truck barreled into the parking lot.

"Shit! Gemma, get down." Marissa ran behind the desk and pulled Gemma down with her. They heard the unmistakable sound of shots being fired. They listened to the commotion and waited until the sounds stopped before standing up.

"What the hell?" Gemma asked as she walked outside towards the guys. Marissa felt a panic attack coming on and she started to wonder where all this extra emotional panic was coming from. Keeping secrets was something that Marissa had always been able to do but lately it seemed liked the slightest thing was turning her into a crying mess.

She walked out of the office and approached the guys in time to see the duffel bag filled with heads. Marissa fought the urge to throw up. She half listened as Clay started giving demands and people started to file out. She looked up as Happy placed a quick kiss on her mouth before getting in the van. She locked eyes with Jax who seemed to finally start to grasp the concept of how deep in shit they were in.

They all heard the approaching sirens and Marissa turned to go back to work. She needed to do something to keep herself busy. She was looking over the same piece of paper for the twelfth time when Clay, Gemma and Jax walked in.

"Don't forget we have that garden fundraiser today."

"Ma, you see this shit? The hell with the fundraiser." Jax growled. Gemma got right in her son's face.

"We don't go to this thing; it looks like we got something to hide."

"Gemma's right. The Sons need the support of the good folks of Charming more now than ever. Besides, we need to support Oswald. We are going to need him."

"I'm going up to the reservation." Jax kissed both Gemma and Marissa before leaving.

"Marissa." Marissa looked up at Clay as he addressed her. "You think you can stay at the clubhouse and run interference with the cops. Maybe help Chucky out with the chili." Marissa nodded as she stood up to leave.

* * *

><p>"This is a crime scene." Some cop informed Marissa as she walked in.<p>

"I'm here to help in the kitchen."

"It's alright. Let her stay." Roosevelt said. He pointed a finger in her face. "But don't interfere with anything."

"It's rude to point." Marissa said as she walked past the man. She walked in the kitchen to see Chucky standing over the pot of chili as if his life depended on it.

"Hey Chucky." Marissa watched as the man jumped before turning towards her.

"Uh...hey…hey Marissa."

"You alright?"

"Yeah..you know…it's just been a crazy morning." Marissa nodded her understanding as she eyed Gemma's recipe sitting on the table.

"You followed Gemma's instructions to the letter right?"

"Yes Ma'am." Marissa smirked.

"That's good. I would hate for Gemma to have your head if her chili doesn't come out just right." Marissa turned to head back towards the bar missing the look of panic that washed over Chucky's face.

* * *

><p>"What's the deal with his hands?" Marissa looked up from her book a few hours later as the cop addressed her. She was bored out of her mind and was praying that The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo would be good enough to stop her from falling asleep on the bar counter. She closed her book and sat it down.<p>

"Gemma got them from Ebay…you know birthday present and all."

"Why?" The cop asked generally confused.

"So he could masturbate." Marissa struggled to not smile at the horrified look on the cops face. Roosevelt made his way over to her with a folder in his hand. He dismissed the cop and Marissa watched as two cops all but harassed Chucky for a bowl of chili.

"You know, manners go a long way. They didn't teach your boys common courtesy in the academy?"

"They're hungry."

"We pay our taxes. I didn't realize we were responsible for feeding you guys too." Roosevelt smiled as he took a seat and opened the folder.

"Marissa Ramirez, age 31, originally from Miami, lived 7 years in Chicago where you opened up a bar before it was shut down by the ATF for classified reasons that were never released." Marissa crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"You writing a book?"

"Just trying to get a better understanding of you. The other old ladies, that's what you call yourselves right? They are all from Charming, in bred. You are the only one that wasn't raised in this world. Just makes me wonder what a city girl like you ended up doing in a small town like this."

"I threw a dart at a map and ended up here." Rossevelt smirked.

"Your former fiancée was shot and killed in front of you when you were only 19." Roosevelt looked at Marissa trying to gain a reaction out of her. Instead she just gave him a blank stare.

"You telling me or reminding me?" Marissa deadpanned.

"It just strikes me as ironic. Most women that suffer a loss like that don't normally continue to date dangerous men."

"My man is a mechanic. The only thing that is dangerous about his job is the possibility of getting smacked in the head with a piece of equipment."

"That's right…your man. He's name is Happy right? Seems like a funny name for a guy who has been building up quite the rap sheet. He's been in and out of jail since he was 16 and all of crimes seem to be of the violent nature. Now why would you get involved with a mechanic like that?" Marissa leaned forward.

"I have a love for motorcycles. I would fuck a tail pipe if I wasn't scared it would give me a yeast infection. So I figure I could save on gas by riding a biker instead of a bike." Marissa looked up to see Gemma and Tara walk in the door. "Excuse me; I have company waiting for me."

"Maybe you should teach my boys a class. It seems like you really know your manners." Marissa smiled.

"Yeah, it was something I was taught in biker bitch school." Marissa walked around the bar and gave Tara a hug.

"Hey chica. How are you holding up?"

"I'm just…I'm just trying to wrap my head around all this shit that's going on." Marissa nodded, understanding exactly how Tara felt. The three women walked into the kitchen.

"How's the chili coming along?" Gemma asked and Chucky seemed nervous.

"It's…going."

"Did you measure everything out exactly as I have it written down?" Gemma walked closer to the pot.

"I…I had to add a few extra things." Gemma opened the pot and quickly shut it.

"Is everything alright? Is it hot?" Tara asked as she went to open the pot for herself but Gemma stopped her.

"Yeah, it's really hot; it almost burned my eyes." Gemma wrapped her arm around Tara and started to pull her away from the stove. "It's an old family recipe. I should have stayed around and helped out." Gemma turned towards Marissa and jerked her head towards the stove. "Rissa, you should take a bowl up to the reservation. I think it's just the way your man likes it."

Marissa scrunched up her forehead as the two women walked out of the kitchen. She waited until they were out of sight before turning back towards the stove. She looked at Chucky briefly before opening the pot. She ran a spoon through the brown liquid and slightly gasped at the head floating inside. She slammed the lid down and took a deep breath.

Marissa looked out towards the clubhouse where the two cops were eating the chili and complimenting the taste of the hot food.

"You give those pigs a bowl of this chili?" Chucky looked down at the floor as if slightly embarrassed.

"Yes ma'am." Marissa put her hand on her hip and smirked slightly at Chucky.

"I accept that."


	26. Chapter 26

Marissa and Happy met some of the others at Gemma's for breakfast a few days later. Marissa parked her car behind Hap's bike and she grabbed a tray of bagels before going up the walkway.

"How did I not know that you cut your hair?" Happy asked as he walked behind her. The other day Marissa went to the salon and begged for a changed. Her waist length was cut to just below her bra line. She had it blown-out and cut into layers. Marissa rang the door bell and turned back towards Happy.

"It's hard to notice how long my hair is when you are too busy pulling it." Happy smacked her ass and smirked.

"Smartass." Marissa greeted Gemma as the older woman opened the door and smiled at the both of them.

"Where do you want me to put this?"

"Dining table is fine." Marissa nodded and placed the tray down before she kissed the boys on the cheek. Marissa fixed Happy a plate before grabbing herself a cup of orange juice. She wasn't hungry; in fact she had woken up this morning with an upset stomach and a pain in her chest. Marissa had no idea what was going on but she had been around this life long enough to now that these feelings was not something that she should ignore.

"Hey Op, have you talked to your Dad?" Gemma asked as she poured Clay a cup of coffee.

"Nah. He's back up at the cabin, old man is going to die up there I swear." The small conversation made Marissa's head spin and she quickly got up from the table. She barely made it to the kitchen sink before she felt the bile raise up from her throat.

She vaguely felt someone gather her up away from her face as she felt her throat muscles struggle to breath. She gaped a few times before she reached over to turn on the sink.

"Are you alright baby?" Gemma asked from behind her. Marissa grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth. She looked up to see everyone standing in the kitchen with questioning stares.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Marissa glanced around the counter trying to find an excuse for her behavior. "The orange juice has pulp in it. That always makes my stomach a little queasy. I'm fine. I'm just going to go brush my teeth." Marissa turned to head down the hallway.

"There are extras in the bathroom closet, baby." Marissa nodded but didn't turn around. She locked herself in the bathroom and leaned against the door. She took a few deep breaths as she tried to get her emotions under control. She tried to tell herself that nothing was wrong, that the nagging voice in the back of her head was just due to the stress of the past couple of weeks.

Marissa brushed her teeth quickly and splashed some water on her face. She lifted her head and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She stared at her reflection until she couldn't bear the sight of herself. Walking back towards the dining area, she heard normal conversations going on around the table. Marissa grabbed her purse and leaned down to kiss Happy.

"I gotta go."

"Where you going?" Happy asked.

"Abel's birthday is coming up. I figure I could get a head start on my shopping. I gotta keep my reputation of being the best aunt ever."

"Do you need cash?" Marissa shook her head.

"Nah baby. I'm good." She leaned down again and placed a soft, almost gentle kiss on Happy's mouth. "I love you." She whispered to him before waving to everyone and heading towards her car.

* * *

><p>Marissa cut the engine off and stepped onto the rocky pave way. She saw Piney's bike sitting in its usual spot and nothing seemed out of the ordinary as she walked to the front door. When she saw the state of the front door, her stomach dropped. With a shaky hand Marissa pushed the door open and let out a heart wrenching scream.<p>

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" The tears fell from her eyes at the sight of Piney's dead body lying on the floor. "God no." Marissa leaned over as she tried to compose herself. She wanted to touch him but the logical side of her knew that wasn't possible. So she sat down on the closest chair and continued to cry.

Marissa cursed both Piney and Tara to hell and back. She knew that something bad was going to happen. She knew those fucking letters were the root of all that is evil. She begged Tara to get rid of those letters if she wasn't going to tell Jax about it. She begged Piney to convince Tara to let the ghost of John Teller die once and for all.

Marissa knew the second that Gemma found that letter in Abel's coloring book, nothing good was going to come from this. Marissa also knew that people were starting to notice the newfound bonding between Piney and Tara. Numerous people had walked in on them deep in a private conversation.

Everything had been so crazy with the cartel and her fights with Happy, Marissa had almost forgotten about the other storm cloud hanging above SAMCRO. Now as she looked at Piney's body, Marissa couldn't help but feel wracked with guilt. Maybe she should have gone to Jax when she felt like Tara was getting out of control. Maybe she should have found those goddamn letters and burned them herself.

"Jesus Christ." Marissa turned her red-rimmed eyes towards the door and saw Gemma standing there. Marissa was so busy dealing with her own grief that she didn't hear the car pull up.

"Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ." Gemma repeated over and over again as the tears fell from her eyes. Marissa continued to remain quiet, just staring at the old man's body on the floor. "Stupid old man. I told you this would happen." That sentence made Marissa's head jerk up.

"Why are you here?" Gemma asked Marissa. The younger woman stood up and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"The same reason you are." Gemma looked around the room and noticed the blood stained picture hanging on the wall.

"It looks like this might be the cartel." Marissa rolled her eyes.

"Don't try that shit with me. If the cartel was going to go after anyone it would be Clay or Jax. You and I both know who did this and it was not some fucking cartel." Gemma and Marissa locked eyes. One was filled with rage while the other was trying to figure out how to handle this situation. Marissa walked closer to Gemma so that they were standing nose to nose.

"Clay killed Piney. You know it. I know it. You better kiss your husband goodbye because once Opie finds out about this, he will kill Clay." Gemma shook her head.

"We can't let that happen." Marissa looked incredulous.

"We? I have no desire to spare Clay's life Gemma. That fucker deserves to die."

"This is about the letters. Oh, don't look at me like that. I know that Tara confided in you about the letters, the same way she confided in Piney. Whatever is in those letters has Clay freaked." Gemma grabbed Marissa's hand. "We can't let anyone find out that this is Clay."

"Are you out of your fucking mind? Clay is out of control. This cartel shit, Juice being shot, Miles dead and now Piney? The king knows he's on the verge of losing his throne."

"That's the problem. Clay is a rabid dog and he will hurt anyone that gets in his way. I can get through to him. I just need the chance Rissa. I need those letters to prove to Clay that there is no longer a threat. I find the letters, I get rid of them and Clay has no reason to hurt anyone else ever." Marissa shook her head.

"You can't be sure of that. You don't have a hold over Clay anymore. Jesus, he didn't even tell you about this Galindo shit. You are losing him Gemma." Gemma shook her head frantically. "I can bring him closer. I know I can." Marissa noticed that this was the first time when she saw real fear in Gemma's eyes. Not even when she dealing with the rape did she look as scared as she did now. Gemma was desperate and she pulled out her final card in hopes to get Marissa to see things from her angle.

"If we don't get those letters to Clay soon, he will destroy everyone in his path. He's already killed Piney. He will go after Tara next." That stopped Marissa's in her tracks.

Marissa knew what Gemma was doing and it was definitely working. Marissa would never stand back and watch Tara get hurt. She knew that Gemma's words had a lot of truth to them. If Clay could kill Piney after thirty years of friendship without even batting an eye, he would have no problem killing Tara. Marissa took a deep breath.

"What do we do?" Gemma kissed Marissa on the mouth and Marissa couldn't help but feel like she had just been given the kiss of death.

"Go back into town. Act like nothing is wrong. I will call Wayne and see if he can clean this up and then I will deal with Clay." Marissa shook her head, disgusted with her own actions. She took one final look at Piney before walking out of the cabin.

* * *

><p>Marissa was sitting on her couch nursing a bottle of Jack Daniels. She was going to go to the garage but she was fearful that she may blurt out Piney's death to the first person that would listen. Locking herself up in her own house was the only way to try and gain some control.<p>

She jumped up and grabbed her gun when she heard noise at the front door. She took the safety off the gun when the door opened.

"Whoa! What the fuck?" Happy asked as he walked in to see his old lady aiming a gun at him. Jax walked up behind him with an equally puzzling expression on his face. Marissa took a deep breath, put the safety back on and lowered the gun.

"Sorry." She mumbled as she sat down.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I wasn't expecting you home before dark. I didn't hear the bikes so I was just being cautious." Jax picked up the bottle of Jack and poured himself a shot.

"I'm sure this wasn't helping your listening skills." Marissa glared but remained quiet. Looking at Jax made Marissa want to cry all over again.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Huh?" Marissa asked at Happy's cryptic question. He lowered his eyebrows as he looked at his old lady as if she had finally lost her mind.

"Abel's birthday gift. Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Uh…no. I think I'm going to have to try the mall in Stockton. Maybe next weekend I'll go up there." Happy grabbed another shot glass and poured himself one.

"I don't want you going by yourself. There's been some talk about some new gang in Stockton. It's mainly just a bunch of punk kids thinking they are bad but I don't want you getting caught in the middle of some gang bullshit." Marissa nodded but barely registered to what Happy was talking about.

"Marissa, I need a favor." Marissa glanced at Jax. "Tara got an interview to work at some hospital in Portland. We think with the death threat and all of the other shit going on, it might be a good move…at least for now."

"Tara's moving to Portland? Why the hell wouldn't she tell me?" Marissa was trying to formulate a plan in her head. While she wanted to believe Gemma, Marissa wasn't one hundred percent convinced that she was going to be able to stop Clay. How the hell was Marissa going to keep Tara safe while she was in Portland?

"It's just an interview. She's not even sure if she's going to get the job, but if she does it will be best for everyone. Her and the boys being in Portland is the best thing for my family right now. At least until shit cools down." Marissa wanted to jump up and scream. Tell Jax that Piney was dead and there was a good chance that Tara would be next but she couldn't form the words so she just bit her tongue.

"So what's the favor that you need Jax?" Marissa asked.

"I was wondering if you could mind going to Portland. I'm going to drive Tara and the boys and I was hoping you would follow me up there so that way I can hitch a ride back with you." Marissa thought this was actually a good plan. With Jax with them, the possibility of something happening to Tara was severely diminished and if Marissa was honest with herself, she could use the break from this godforsaken town.

"Okay, I'll do it."

* * *

><p>It was well after dark when Clay emerged from the clubhouse. He saw the office light still on but didn't see Gemma or Marissa sitting down. Clay looked around the compound and saw Gemma swinging on the children's play set. He moved closer to her and took a seat on the small chair next to her. They both sat in silence for a few moments before Gemma spoke.<p>

"I went up to Piney's this morning." Clay remained silent. "Marissa found him first." That caught Clay's attention and he looked towards his wife. "She knows Clay. She knows that you killed Piney over those goddamn letters."

"Marissa knows about the letters?" Gemma nodded. "How much does she know?"

"I don't know but she promised to keep this shit buried. I called Wayne and he's pointing Piney's death on the cartel."

"How can you trust that gash won't say anything?"

"Because she loves Tara and she will do anything to protect her." Gemma stood up and moved in between Clay's legs as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "I live with so many lies Clay. So many things that I can never speak of. I have supported every decision that you have ever made, no questions asked. Now I need you to do something for me. I talked to Marissa and she's going to try to get the originals from Tara. We will burn them and no one will ever know what happened to JT."

"You think it's that simple?"

"Tara's going to Portland tomorrow. She has a job interview and Marissa is going with her. That gives us enough time to find and destroy those letters. Tara's smart; she will never go to Jax with her suspicions unless she has solid proof. She runs the risk of him not believing her and losing him. Tara would never do that." Gemma kissed Clay before continuing. "I need you to promise me something. I need you to promise me that you will leave Tara and Marissa alone. I will fix this shit but Clay, I'm begging you: don't go after the girls." Clay looked at his wife and stood up to deepen the kiss.

"I promise." Gemma searched his eyes for the truth and smiled.

"I'm going to shut down the office and then let's go home." Clay nodded and Gemma started to walk away. Clay waited until she was far enough away before pulling out the cell phone that Romeo had given him. He opened the phone and stared at it for a few moments. He ran down the pros and cons before he made the final decision to hit the send button.


	27. Chapter 27

_A/N: This chapter is shorter than most but I figured that it would be better if I broke this day down into two chapters._

* * *

><p>Marissa woke up to the feeling of kisses being placed on her bare back. She fought the urge to squirm under the touch but when a kiss was placed on a particularly sensitive spot on her neck, she laughed.<p>

"Morning." Happy's deep voice echoed in her ear and Marissa closed her eyes in pleasure.

"Morning to you too." Happy flipped Marissa over and placed a kiss on her mouth. When he went to pull away, Marissa grabbed him and deepened the kiss. Happy finally pulled back and moved a strand of hair from her eyes.

"You alright?" Happy asked quietly. Marissa fought the urge to avoid his eyes but she knew that would just make him more suspicious.

"Yeah. What do you mean?"

"You seem to be off the past few days. Pulling the gun on me, getting sick at Gem's, telling me you love me in front of everyone…it's just not you." Marissa laid a palm on his cheek.

"I'm fine baby. Just…I guess all the stress from the past year is finally starting to catch up with me." Happy wasn't satisfied with her answer but he accepted it for now.

"How long are you going to be gone?"

"Just the weekend. Jax wants to spend some time with the boys and Tara. Me and him are going to drive back from Portland Sunday afternoon. I should be home before midnight."

"We don't have any runs until Jax comes back. Figure I'll go up to Tacoma; check on the guys since Kozik's dead. I'll probably head out this afternoon after doing a quick job with Tig."

"Be careful." Marissa gasped lightly as Happy grabbed one of her legs and placed it around his waist.

"I need you to know that I love you." Marissa searched Happy's eyes for a reaction. "I need you to know no matter what happens, I love you so fucking much."

The raw emotion in Marissa's voice made Happy slightly worried. Before he could sit up and demand that she tell him what was going on, his phone rang. Happy kept Marissa pinned underneath him as he reached over to grab his phone.

"What?" Happy barked into the receiver.

"Well, good morning to you too sunshine." Happy rolled his eyes at the overtly mocking tone in Jax's voice.

"What's up?"

"I'm just calling to let you know you have an hour to lay down pipe before we hit the road. Enjoy lovebirds." Jax laughed as Happy growled and hung up the phone.

"Who was that?' Marissa asked. Happy got comfortable between her legs as he placed a few kisses on her neck making her smile.

"The wake-up service. I got an hour to have my way with you." Marissa giggled as Happy continued his assault on her neck and she tried desperately to concentrate on what her man was doing and not the sinking feeling in her soul.

* * *

><p>The two cars had been on the road for an hour when Marissa's cell phone rang. She reached across to the passenger seat to grab the small device.<p>

"Yeah?"

"There is a park about two miles up the road. Jax wants to stop, play with the kids, maybe grab some lunch." Marissa couldn't help but smile at Tara's tone. The girl sounded like she was on Cloud 9 and it was damn contagious.

"Yeah that's fine." Marissa hung up the phone and continued to follow the car in front of her. She had spent most of the trip with her radio on full blast. She didn't care if she busted out an ear drum or two; she just needed something that was louder than the nagging voices in her head.

Marissa still had no idea how she was going to approach Tara about the fucking letters. She had to find a way to bring them up without alerting Tara about Piney's death, which seemed like an impossible task.

She knew for a fact that Gemma would spend the next two days tearing Charming upside in hopes to finding the offending letters and destroying them. Marissa also prayed that Gemma was truly as good as she claimed to be and would be able to talk some sense into Clay.

Marissa pulled her car into the parking space at the beautiful park and sighed deeply. She got out the car and smiled at Abel who was screaming with the windows down.

"Titi Rissa! Titi Rissa!" Marissa opened the car door and got Abel out of his booster seat while giving him a big kiss on the cheek.

Abel was almost three and starting to get into the phase where he did not want to share. He was becoming more and more possessive and his little brother was starting to annoy him. Abel thought Tommy was taking all of his time and was not above acting out in order to gain some attention.

Marissa held the little boy's hand as she walked him towards the swing set. She buckled him into a swing and stood behind him to push him. Marissa took the moment to sing to Abel who was laughing with glee.

She looked towards one of the big oak trees and smiled at Tara, Jax and Tommy laid out on a blanket. Her heart strings were pulled when she saw Jax having an intense conversation with his child as Tara watched on, beaming with pride.

Marissa was still on the fence about how she felt when it came to Tara's plan on getting her family out of Charming at any cost. On one hand, Marissa could respect the fact that Tara just wanted to protect her loved ones. Marissa understood that as most of her actions were a result of trying to protect the people she loved.

On the other hand, if Marissa was being completely honest with herself, there was a part of her that was very angry at Tara. Angry at the methods that Tara was using, the things that she had done the past couple of months.

Marissa was willing to die by the hands of Salazar in order to save the life of Tara and Abel and yet when Marissa begged that Tara let that JT shit go, she couldn't do that. Those feelings combined with the fact that there was a part of her that blamed Tara for Piney's death made Marissa feel like her brain was on a constant rollercoaster and she was just ready for the fucking thing to stop.

Marissa turned her attention to Abel and tried desperately to focus on the little boy in front of her. She had her head down when she heard a bone chilling scream. Marissa jerked her head up to see a black van with its doors open, grabbing Tara. She watched in horror as Jax ran after the van and Tara was begging for him. Abel started to cry, effectively pulling Marissa from her shock. She quickly knelt down and grabbed the young boy, placing him in her arms and trying to shield him as much as possible.

She ran towards the blanket and sat down as she placed Abel on her lap and picked up Tommy who had been lying on the blanket, taking a nap. She made sure that her back was towards the parking lot, in hopes that Abel wouldn't see what was going on. Marissa wanted to run after the van and help Jax but she knew that it was important that she kept the boys as safe as she could.

"MARISSA! CALL 911!" Marissa heard Jax yell after a few moments of screaming and gunfire. Marissa quickly grabbed her cell phone and dialed the three digits. She threw caution to the wind and glanced behind her to see Tara on the ground and Jax kneeling over her. Marissa could see blood but she had no idea where it was coming from. Marissa rocked Abel back and forth while she fought the urge to cry.

Marissa didn't have to guess who was responsible for all of this and she vowed that one way or another, Clay Morrow would die.


	28. Chapter 28

Marissa paced in front of the chapel at Saint Thomas Hospital. She couldn't piece together all the events in a coherent fashion. It was as if she was watching a movie of herself reacting to all around her but not really feeling. She vaguely recalled Neeta showing up at the hospital and taking the kids. Marissa remembered pulling back form hugging Jax and noticed the blood stains on her white shirt.

She caught small parts of conversations that were happening around her. From what she could gather, Tara had got her hand slammed in the van door while trying to escape. She was immediately rushed into surgery and judging by some words that Marissa remembered from the first three seasons of Grey's Anatomy, the outcome was not looking good.

Marissa had initially been in the waiting room but once Clay walked in full of fake concern, Marissa had to excuse herself before she pulled the gun out of her purse and shot him at point blank rage. Before leaving the waiting area, Marissa and Clay locked eyes and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was far from over.

"Marissa?" Marissa turned around and saw Gemma running to her side. Before Gemma could open her mouth, her face swung to the right as Marissa's hand connected with her cheek.

"You bitch!" Gemma exclaimed with a mixture of shock and awe. Not too many people would have the nerve to actually put their hands on Gemma. Gemma tried to remember that it was not personal, that Marissa was only concerned for her friend.

"I can get through to him, Rissa. I can bring him closer, Rissa." Marissa repeated the words that Gemma said up at Piney's cabin. "How did that fucking work out for you Gemma?"

"He promised me. I told him that I was going to get the letters and he promised me he would leave Tara alone."

"Well obviously he fucking lied because Tara is stuck in surgery because someone tried to kidnap and kill her in front of her children and YOUR son."

"I never wanted this Marissa. I love Tara. I never wanted to see her hurt." Gemma's eyes were flooded with unshed tears and Marissa couldn't help but notice that she seemed more frantic than normal.

"What is going to stop Clay from finishing this? What is going to stop him from going into her hospital room and smothering her in her sleep? Jesus Christ Gemma. We have to tell someone the goddamn truth."

"We can't do that."

"Clay killed your husband, killed your husband's best friend who also happens to be your son's best friend's father and then tried to kill your future daughter-in-law. What needs to happen before you speak up? Who else has to get hurt or killed before you start unloading all of those secrets?" Gemma leaned against the door and closed her eyes.

"That can't happen. No one can know. They can't know about Piney or JT or Tara, they can never find out." Marissa crossed her arms over her chest.

"You want me to continue to keep my mouth shut then you need to offer me something."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that you need to tell me what was in those goddamn letters that has you so spooked and is making Clay murderous."

"I didn't read the letters."

"Bullshit. Bull fucking shit. Those aren't just some goddamn love letters from your husband to his teenage lover. There is more. There has to be more or why else would Clay be doing this shit?"

"Marissa?" Marissa and Gemma's conversation was halted when Tig ran up to the two of them. "Have you heard from your old man? He's not picking up his cell." Marissa smacked her forehead with her hand.

"Shit, I completely forgot. He went up to Tacoma for a few days, something about paying his respects to the charter for Kozik dying." Tig nodded.

"So he's probably on the road. We don't know who the hell went after Tara and we want to get everyone here in order to figure out what's the next step."

"I'm sorry Tigger. Leave him a message. I'm sure when he stops to get gas; he will give you a call back." Tig kissed Marissa on the cheek and she waited until he rounded the corner before turning back towards Gemma. She pointed a finger in her face.

"You better put an end to this shit or so help me God; I will tell the club the truth about Tara and Piney." Marissa walked away leaving Gemma in a state of shock.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Marissa was sitting at her kitchen table trying desperately to stop the massive headache that she had. Tara had pulled through the surgery but her mental state of mind took a big hit. It seemed that the reality of her relationship was starting to hit her. She snapped on Jax as she came to the conclusion that she would never be anything more than an old lady. The doctors had said that her physical therapy would be long but they were confident that she would make a full recovery and be able to operate one day.<p>

Tara, however, had all but given up. She saw her bandaged hand as a sign that she was no longer going to be able to be a doctor, that she wouldn't ever hold a tiny life in her hands and it was destroying her.

Marissa overheard the way Tara snapped out at Jax and opted not to disturb her. Marissa figured that she would give Tara a night to rest before going to see her. Marissa grabbed her ringing cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Are you alright?" Happy's voice fluttered through the speaker. Marissa could tell his deep voiced had a hit of worry in it.

"Physically, yes I'm fine."

"And everything else?"

"Debatable." Marissa sighed as she took a sip of her water.

"I just got off the phone with Tig. I'm going to head back to Charming in the morning. Do you want to have one of the prospects stay with you?" Marissa grimaced to herself. It had been well over a year since Kip passed but Marissa still wasn't comfortable with the new prospects.

"Nah mi amor. I'm probably going to stay the night at Jax's, try to help out with the kids."

"Okay, if you're sure."

"Yeah baby. I'm sure. Just come home soon please."

"I'll be there by early afternoon." Marissa and Happy bid their goodbyes and Marissa hung up the phone. She originally planned on just staying in the house, maybe popping a sleep pill or two and trying to get a good night's rest. But after talking to Happy, she realized that going to Jax's to help with the boys wasn't a bad idea. Marissa got up to head towards the bedroom to pack a bag when she heard a knock at the door.

Marissa groaned to herself preparing to open the door and find a prospect or Tig standing there. She was more than a bit surprised when she opened the door to see Clay leaning on the frame. Marissa tried to tamper down her fear.

"Clay. What's up?" It was rare for Clay to come to her house. In the past three years, she could recall a handful of times when Clay actually step foot in her home. Marissa felt herself begin to panic as she realized nothing good can come from this visit. Clay walked in the house without even an invitation.

"Where are they Marissa?" Marissa shut her door and turned towards Clay.

"Where's what Clay?"

"The goddamn letters. I know that you know about them and I know that doctor bitch probably told you where they are, so you need to tell me."

"I don't know where they are. I don't even know what's in the fucking letters." Marissa tried to reason but one look in Clay's eyes told her that he was far beyond reason.

"Bullshit. She confides you in about everything. I'm sure she told you where she hid those letters. Now this has nothing to do with you, Marissa, so just give the letters and everything will be fine." Clay's cool demeanor pissed Marissa off.

"Fine? Fine? Nothing will ever be fine again. You killed Piney and almost killed Tara. How the fuck is that fine?" Marissa felt the breath leave her body as Clay pushed Marissa into a wall and pointed a finger in her face.

"I would be real careful about spitting out those kind of accusations darling, you never know what could happen to you." The threat was not lost on Marissa and she searched for a way to escape.

"You bastard!" Marissa hissed as she pulled her knee up towards Clay's groin. He kneeled down in pain and Marissa took that as an opportunity to flee. She ran towards the kitchen and dug through her purse until she found her Glock. She looked up just as Clay made his way in the kitchen. She pointed the gun at Clay and took off the safety.

"Get out of my house."

"Or what? You're going to kill me? You really think killing the President of the Mother Charter is going to end well for you sweetheart?"

"I don't give a shit who you are." Marissa felt her whole body start to shake. She had been through a lot in her life but she was never more scared than she was right now. "You take one more step, I will blow a fucking hole in you, consequences be damned."

Marissa's hands were shaking and she was trying so hard to keep a grip on the gun that her knuckles had turned white. Clay took a step towards Marissa and on instinct, she fired her gun. She watched in a horror as the bullet hit a picture frame mere inches from Clay's head. Marissa could barely breathe and she didn't know what to do.

The few seconds that she spent trying to wrap her head around what she just did allowed Clay a chance to strike. He smacked the gun clear out of Marissa's hand. She balled up her fist and landed a blow to Clay's mouth.

Clay reached back and backhanded Marissa so hard that smacked her head on the kitchen table. She tried to run away but Clay held a grip on the back of her shirt and pulled her closer. She only had time to scream as Clay landed smacks back to back across her face. She saw him ball up his crippled hand to make a fist and once it made contact with Marissa's face, her entire world went black.


	29. Chapter 29

Gemma slammed her car door and practically ran towards Marissa's front door. About twenty minutes ago, she received a text from Marissa that simply said _"Get to my house NOW and bring Unser."_ Gemma knocked frantically on the front door and when there was no answer. Wayne tried the handle and the door was unlocked. They both stepped inside and started to look around. When Gemma saw the bullet hole in the photo frame on the wall, she immediately began to panic.

"Marissa? Marissa?" Wayne and Gemma searched the house and finally found her in her relaxation room, sitting on the chaise with her head down. "Marissa?" Gemma's voice got quiet and had an air of panic to it. It took a few moments until Marissa finally put her head up. When she did, both Gemma and Wayne fought the urge to gasp.

"Jesus Christ, what happened to you?" Marissa tried to glare but it was difficult with the amount of bruises on her face. She had blacked out some time during Clay's numerous hits. When she finally came to, her face felt like it had been bashed in with a bat. It took her nearly an hour to compose herself long enough to look in the mirror. She was automatically horrified by what she saw. There wasn't a single part of her face that didn't have a bruise on it.

Marissa had been livid and was close to calling Happy or even Tig. Just as she was getting ready to hit the speed dial, the rational side of her started to voice its opinion. So instead she called Gemma after she formulated an elaborate plan.

"You know exactly what happened to me."

"Clay did this you? Oh baby, I am so sorry." Gemma's apology was sincere. She never thought that Clay would go this far as to attack Marissa in her own home, especially considering who her old man was. If Clay would have gone after Gemma, the club would have no choice but to accept it as it would be an issue between a member and his old lady. No matter how pissed off the guys would be, they technically could not get involved.

Gemma figured that Clay must have really lost his mind if he ran the risk of going after Marissa, especially by doing the dirty work with his own two hands. Gemma kneeled down and started to move Marissa's matted hair back as the tears ran from the older woman's eyes.

"This has gone on far enough. I have to get you to the hospital sweetheart." Wayne insisted.

"No! No hospitals, not yet at least." Wayne and Gemma looked at each other.

"What do you mean not yet baby?"

"Happy can not find out this was Clay." Wayne opened his mouth to protest but Marissa continued to talk. "Happy will kill him no questions asked and despite how much he deserves to die, Happy can not be the one to do it." Gemma agreed with Marissa's logic and was in awe that she was able to think about the club after all that had happened to her.

"How do you expect to get away with this? Happy will be home tomorrow and you better have some answers on what the hell happened to you."

"I have an idea. Before Happy left, he was talking about this new gang that was based in Stockton. He said it was a bunch of punk teens looking to make their mark. Wayne, I need you to drive me to Stockton Park and leave me there. Then drop my car off at some abandoned warehouse or some shit. Gemma, I need you to go back to the clubhouse. I will call you and you will tell the guys that I was jumped while I was in Stockton grocery shopping."

"You really think that's going to work?" Wayne asked incredulously.

"The park is only a few blocks from the grocery store and Happy knows that I like to shop in Stockton because they have the Spanish food that I like." Gemma thought it over. It was actually not a bad idea. Marissa going to Stockton was nothing new and with the new gang, it would make perfect sense.

"Are you sure you want to do this sweetheart?" Wayne asked. He wanted nothing more than to watch Clay burn after all the shit that he had done. He was more than a little pissed off that everyone seemed to be going out of their way to protect this monster.

"I have to. I know it doesn't make sense, but I have to protect the people I love." Marissa touched her cheek and winced. "Now help me up."

* * *

><p>"Hey Mom. What are you doing here?" Opie asked Gemma when she walked in the clubhouse an hour later. She had taken the trip to Stockton in order to drive Wayne back. Gemma spent the drive thinking and something about Marissa's willingness to essentially help Clay wasn't adding up.<p>

At first Gemma thought that maybe Marissa was protecting Happy because if Happy ever found out that Clay hurt Marissa, Happy would kill Clay president or not. No matter the circumstances, killing the President of the original charter was not going to be without consequences.

Gemma then dismissed that thought. Even if she was to tell Happy and Happy did kill Clay, all Marissa had to do was tell the truth about Piney and Tara and Happy would probably be all good with the club,.

There had to be another reason. A reason bigger than Gemma could figure out and it was starting to piss her off.

"Hey baby. I was just swinging by to look over some paperwork in the office." Gemma looked around the clubhouse and saw Juice and Chibs playing cards while Tig was reading something at one of the tables. Gemma turned back towards Opie and started to engage him in a conversation in hopes to buy some time. She didn't want to be sitting in the office when she got the call.

5 minutes, Gemma hung up the phone and immediately put on a frantic front. "Guys." She exclaimed getting everyone's attention. "That was Marissa on the phone. She was jumped." All the guys stood up and started talking all at once. Gemma put her hand up to get the collective voices to simmer down. "She wouldn't tell me much just that she's at Stockton Park."

"Let's go." Tig said making his way to the front door. "Gemma, try to get in touch with Happy."

"I wanna go." Gemma insisted. Tig wanted to argue but he knew better. Gemma Teller was not one to take orders. Opie grabbed Gemma's arm as he escorted her outside.

"Come on. You can ride with me."

* * *

><p>Marissa heard the roaring of the motorcycles and tried to focus. She was in a tremendous amount of pain and even breathing was starting to hurt. She heard footsteps running towards and then someone say "Holy Shit." Marissa tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness and she made out Tig's shadow looming over her. She attempted to smile.<p>

"Hiya Tigger." Tig gently helped her off the grass and placed his cut over her body. Marissa had put a few rips in her shirt to make it look like she had fought back.

"Can you get the bike?" Marissa halted in her steps and stared at the two-wheeled beauty. Shit, she had assumed that the guys weren't going to bring a cage.

"I think we should call a cab or something."

"I'll take my bike back to the shop and grab Gemma's car." Chibs said and Gemma handed over keys. Gemma couldn't help but notice that Marissa was avoiding eye contact with the older woman. Tig sat Marissa down on a bench and ran a soft hand over her face.

"Hurricane, what happened?" Marissa took a deep breathe and tried to put together her lie.

"I wanted to make some pastales for Tara because they are her favorites. I went to the Selecto. Before I could get out of the car, two men approached me from behind and grabbed me. I was able to get out of one of their grasps and started running. I ran to the park before they caught up with me." Marissa kept her head down. She felt incredibly guilty for lying to Tig considering how close they were but she didn't see any other options. She had to do what was best and this Clay shit was bigger than Marissa. The truth ran so deep and so buried that when it finally shed light, no one and nothing would be the same every again.

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><p>"What the FUCK happened?" Happy roared when he finally made it back to Charming a few hours later. The majority of the club was in the waiting room, including Clay. Clay had panicked after he attacked Marissa. He didn't fully think things through and was certain that he was going to have to deal with an irate Happy. He was more than a bit confused when he heard Chibs tell him the store about two guys at a grocery store. He had no idea why the hell she wouldn't tell on him.<p>

Marissa was far from stupid and her knowledge of this lifestyle told Clay that this was far from over. He knew that she was going to be up to something but he had no idea what. Gemma explained to Happy about what happened and he immediately turned around and punched the vending machine.

"GOD DAMNIT!" It seemed that no matter how hard they tried, Marissa and Happy could not seem to catch a break. "Are we sure this was random and it wasn't the same assholes who hurt Tara?"

"The way she was talking, it seemed like they were just a pair of punk kids looking to steal a car." Opie stopped listening when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He read the text message and quietly slipped out of the room while everyone was throwing theories at each other.

He walked back towards the emergency room and looked for curtain 5. He couldn't help but smile when he heard a distinctive female voice.

"Jesus Christ lady, that fucking hurts. Didn't anyone teach you some bedside manners?" Opie opened the curtain and peeked in.

"Are you decent?"

"Am I ever?" Marissa quipped back. Opie walked inside the room and the pair remained silent as the doctor continued to work on Marissa's face. Once the blood was washed away from her face, she looked a hell of a lot better. She was still bruised all over but it wasn't nearly as bad as when Opie saw her at the park. Finally the doctor was done and told Marissa that he was going to prescribe her something and then left them alone.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I got punched in the face." Both smirked at each other before Marissa pointed to the chair and Opie sat down.

"Happy's here. He's upset that this happened to you." Marissa shrugged her shoulders. Happy was the least of her problems right now. Marissa took on a serious expression as she looked Opie dead in the eyes.

"I need to tell you something." Marissa's hand started to shake. "A few days ago, I went up to the cabin to check on Piney since no one had heard from him in a while….when I walked in the room, I found Piney…he was dead on the floor with a bullet in him." Marissa watched as Opie turned white and his eyes expressed shock.

"What the fuck did you say?"

"Clay killed Piney. Gemma found me at the cabin and she freaked out and called Unser to have him point Piney's murder to the cartel." Marissa started to cry. "I'm so sorry Opie. I wanted to tell you but…I just didn't know how." Opie stood up and started to pace.

"You mean to tell me that my old man is dead and Clay killed him? How do you know for sure?"

"Look in Gemma's eyes. Don't say anything to her; just look in her eyes and tell me if they don't speak the truth." Opie stormed out of the area and Marissa prayed that she had done the right thing.


	30. Chapter 30

_A/N: We are heading into the final stretch for this story. I see it only being about 3 or 4 more chapters. Once this is done, I will have the final installment posted very shortly afterwards. I don't want there to be a big gap between stories because I want to keep your attention._

_Also, I know many of you are huge fans of Tara's but towards the end of Season 4 there was a significant change in her character and I wanted to show that. Keep in mind that all Gemma, Tara and Marissa want to do is what is right to keep their families safe, they just all have different approaches. Please don't get mad at Marissa in this chapter. More will be explained in the next chapter._

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><p>Marissa lay on the hospital bed as she waited for the nurse to come back with her prescription and release papers. She knew once Gemma found out what she did, the woman would flip out but Marissa was getting tired of holding all these secrets in her head, especially secrets that weren't about her. Opie deserved to know the truth about Piney. Every day that the man laid rotting in his cabin was another day that Marissa was overcome with guilt. The final straw was the bruises on her face. Marissa looked up as the curtain was pulled back. She tried to smile but it came out as more of a grimace.<p>

Happy walked closer to the bed and just stared at her. He was starting so intently that Marissa was starting to become uncomfortable. Happy reached out and traced the various bruises on her face. She closed her eyes and felt comfort in his touch.

"I'm so sorry, reina." Marissa popped her eyes open at the raw emotion coming from her man. She could see he was struggling not to cry and the guilt started to grow even more. Marissa sat up and pulled Happy closer.

"This is not your fault. I'm fine, everything will be fine." She tried not to wince as Happy held her tightly. 3 years of knowing this man and he still seemed to surprise and amaze her.

"Do you need anything?" Happy asked as he pulled back and sat in the chair next to her bed. He grabbed her hand and ran a thumb over her knuckles.

"I just want to get out of here."

"I will find the assholes that did this to you." Marissa felt panic hit her heart. In her plan, she didn't think about what Happy would do. Marissa felt tears come to her eyes.

"I need you to please drop this. Happy I'm begging you." Happy shook his head.

"How do you expect me to drop this shit Marissa?"

"Happy, I just got you back. I can't lose you again, especially not now." Happy raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean not now?" Marissa took a deep breath and tried to back track.

"With everything going on, I can't have you take on something else. Please baby, just not now." Happy looked in Marissa's eyes and saw undeniable fear. Something wasn't adding up. Marissa was big on revenge and payback when someone hurt her, so why was she now she adamant that she wanted this to be forgotten? Happy cleared his throat.

"I gotta talk to you about something." Marissa looked at him. "After Kozik died, I got a call from Sonny." At the mention of the man's name, Marissa's spine automatically shot up. Sonny was the President of the Tacoma charter…and the reason why Happy left Marissa the first time. The older man had gotten into Happy's head about he's inability to still do his job now that he had an old lady and Happy listened. Marissa went two months before she saw or heard form Happy.

"He asked me if I was interested in being Tacoma's Sergeant At Arms."

"NO WAY IN HELL!" Marissa roared. She winced as she felt a pain in her cheek from yelling. "Hap, do not tell me that you are even considering that."

"With all the shit that is going on, in and out of the club, maybe being in Charming is not the best thing. Shit has been upside for awhile and now with you being hurt again, maybe going back to Tacoma is the best thing right now."

"Best for who? Cause I can damn sure tell you it's not best for us. Happy, there is no way in hell that I will go to Tacoma as long as Sonny is running shit and our relationship will not survive us being that far away from each other."

"So you won't even consider Tacoma?" Marissa yanked her hand from Happy's grasp.

"I can not believe you would even ask me that. You left me because of Sonny's bullshit. Do you remember that? Moving to Tacoma, being under Sonny's leadership? It will do nothing but open up old wounds and insecurities for me. It will ruin our relationship. Charming is home, SAMCRO is our family; your mother is only an hour away. How can you want to leave all of that?"

"Look around Marissa. You got jumped by some fucking thugs, someone tried to kill Tara, let's not forget our duffel bag surprise a few days ago. You said it yourself: this new venture is a bad idea. I'm just trying to protect you."

"I'm not leaving Charming Happy. I've built a life here for myself. WE have a built a life here, I'm not going anywhere." Their conversation was halted when the nurse stepped behind the curtain with Marissa's release papers. Marissa's head was a million miles away from whatever the lady was talking about. All she could focus on what she needed to do to keep her and her man in Charming where they belonged.

* * *

><p>Four days later and Marissa was beyond exhausted. Opie had gone after Clay like Marissa had hoped. However things did not go the way she planned. Opie wasn't able to kill Clay and Jax blamed the shooting on the "blacks". Clay fighting for his life gave Tig a change of heart. A few days prior Tig gave up his SAA patch saying that Clay had changed and he could no longer be his right hand. Tig was overcome with guilt when Clay was shot and in his mindset of anger and sadness went after Laroy. Unfortunately, Tig didn't succeed in killing Laroy, but he did kill his girlfriend, which meant that there would be another Niners-SAMCRO war any day now. It was taking everything in Marissa's power not to tell Tig the truth.<p>

Marissa and Happy were barely speaking to each other. Happy kept saying that a transfer to Tacoma would be great for both of them while Marissa strongly disagreed. Their inability to come to an agreement was putting a strain on their relationship. Add that to Marissa's point blank refusal to talk about her attack was making things at home very unpleasant for the couple.

Marissa pulled up to Tara and Jax's house and took a deep breath. Tara had been released from the hospital after being placed on psych watch when she slammed her injured hand over and over on the hospital dresser. Apparently Wendy, Abel's mom, had showed up at the hospital and stated that she wanted to be a part of her son's life now that she was clean and sober.

Wendy's appearance had been the last straw to Tara's already fragile state of mind and she lost it. She was quickly sedated and placed under watch to make sure that she was not a harm to herself or others. Marissa had not been at the hospital to see her as much as she would have liked to but Jax said the bruises on Marissa's face may upset Tara. However, Marissa got a phone call from Gemma this morning and Marissa knew that she and Tara had some things to discuss immediately.

"Marissa." Marissa stopped to smile at Filthy Phil who had been standing guard at the front door. She noticed that he was trying to avoid staring. Even with a baseball cap and oversized sunglasses, she still looked like hell and she knew it. "Jax is looking for you."

"Is he here?"

"No. He's at the clubhouse."

"Well, he's going to have to wait. I need to see Tara." Marissa pushed passed the big man and made her way down the hallway to Tara's bedroom. She stood in the doorframe as Tara was standing by the bed, surrounded by clothing and various items.

"What the hell are you doing?" Marissa said in a panic.

"Packing. Jax and I are leaving for Portland in two days."

"What the hell Tara? You can not go to Portland."

"We have to Marissa. It's the only way to save my family. I can not stay in this murderous town. I will not raise my children like this."

"You selfish bitch." Marissa said before she could take it back. Tara turned wide eyes to her best friend. "Jesus Christ, Tara. Are you even aware of all the damage that is going on right now? Jax can not leave Charming right now, not after everything that has happened."

"I am protecting my family!" Tara yelled as she slammed her suitcase down.

"God you are so naïve. YOU put this family in danger. You and those fucking letters started this whole goddamn thing."

"What are you talking about? I almost died Marissa, in front of my boys. How the hell is that my fault?"

"Clay was the one that put the hit out on you." Tara's eyes grew wide. "This wasn't about the fucking cartel, it was about Clay knowing about those goddamn letters and doing everything in his power to make sure you kept your mouth shut." Marissa ran a hand over her bruised face and moved closer to Tara, her anger radiating off her body.

"Piney is dead and do you wanna know who killed him? Clay. Do you wanna know who really beat the shit out of me a few days ago? It was Clay. And it was all because of those FUCKING letters that you just couldn't shut the fuck up about. So if you wanna blame anyone for what is happening to YOUR family, blame yourself. All of this blood is on YOUR hands so how dare you cause all this mayhem and destruction and then walk away from it?"

Tara sat down on the bed stunned. She wasn't aware of everything that had happened because everyone had gone out of their way to protect Tara, to prevent her from living with the guilt but Marissa was fed up. She begged Tara to get rid of those letters, she told the woman that nothing good could come from them but she refused to listen and now she was packing her bags and running away from the mess that she created and Marissa was not about to let that happen.

"Who all knows?" Marissa sighed.

"Gemma and Wayne know the truth about me and Gemma, Wayne, Opie and I'm assuming Jax knows the truth about Piney. Tara, you guys can not leave Charming. Jax needs to take his rightful place as President. If Clay survives this shooting and takes the gavel again, everything will turn to shit." The pair sat in silence for a few moments before Tara spoke up.

"I'm sorry Marissa but we are leaving and that's final." Marissa fought the urge to slap the woman across the face. Instead she just turned and headed towards the door. Before she could walk fully out the room, Tara called her name and Marissa turned around.

"Tell me you love me." Marissa remained silent as she and Tara locked eyes. Marissa watched as the Tara that she had known for the past ten years disappeared right in front of her. The accident had done more damage than just a fucked up hand, Tara was mentally unstable and a woman on the verge.

Marissa couldn't believe how cold and detached Tara had become and it became clear to Marissa what she had to do in order to make things right. She knew that she was running the risk of ruining her friendship with Tara forever, but just like Tara was claiming to protect her family, Marissa needed to step up and do what was right for her own family.

"Tell me you love me, Marissa." Tara repeated and Marissa couldn't open her mouth to form the words that Tara seemed so desperate to hear. Instead Marissa just smirked and tilted her head.

"See ya around Tara."


	31. Chapter 31

_A/N: I owe all of you a HUGE apology. Just when I was getting back into the groove of writing, my laptop completely died on me a few months ago and I lost all the drafts that I had. By the time I got a new laptop, I was hit with an awful case of writer's block and completely forgot where I was going with the stories. I've been rewatching the past few seasons and I think I'm starting to get back into the groove. This is the final chapter of Maintain the Pain and I will be starting the final story of the trilogy shortly after. Once that is taken care of, I will be back to continue Constant Craving. Again, I'm sorry and I hope you guys haven't abandoned me._

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><p>There was something to be said about the strength of three small women. They may not wear cuts or vote over a redwood but deep down the three women were the backbone of the Mother Charter. Unfortunately, nothing was more dangerous than three women who had very different agendas and all believed that they were in the right. Nothing had made a lick of sense in a while but as Marissa watched Tara run to her car with tears streaming down her face, she knew for sure that this was the day where everything changed and nothing and no one would be the same again.<p>

"Why did you do it?" Gemma asked from her spot next to Marissa. Gemma had drove like a bat out of hell to the storage unit and ripped it apart only to not find a single letter. She had went back to the clubhouse and was in the middle of ripping Tara a new one for the game that she was sure the doc was playing when Marissa had walked out.

Marissa explained much to the horror of Tara and the confusion of Gemma that she had taken the letters and given them to Jax. She told him that Tara knew about the letters since the day the boys had went in and she had mentioned those letters to Piney, hence the animosity between Piney and Clay that had hit an all-time high. Tara knew what this all meant. It meant that Jax would take over as President and there wasn't a damn thing that she could do about it. Instead she ran to her car as her dreams of every getting out of this goddamn town were dashed by her own best friend.

Marissa turned towards Gemma and sighed. "I told her the truth that Clay was the one that did this to me because of those fucking letters and she still said nothing. She's my sister and I love her but I can't ignore her part in all this shit. I told her to keep her goddamn mouth shut about those letters and she didn't listen to me. After everything I have done for her, after all the times I put my ass on the line for her, she was still willing to just pick up and leave. That shit don't sit well with me."

"So you get pissed off and rip her dreams of the perfect American family from her?" Marissa glared slightly.

"You should be dancing on top of the table right now. I saved your ass today and stopped your son from leaving."

"I'm not saying I'm not grateful. All I am saying is, after knowing you for all these years, I've learned there is normally more to your theories. So what gives? Why didn't you just tell Happy and Jax that Clay was the one that roughed you up?" Marissa took a deep breath before she finally started talking.

"I'm pregnant." The shock on Gemma's face would have been comical if not for the serious situation at hand. She could see the questioning in the older woman's eyes, so Marissa answered her. "The baby is fine. Clay did most of the damage to my face." Marissa snorted at the ridiculousness of the situation.

She closed her eyes for a quick minute before her voice took on a serious tone. "Happy wants to go back to Tacoma. He says the shit around here is getting out of control and he wants to keep me safe. I can't raise my child in Tacoma Gemma. Not with Sonny still running things. You guys…this town…it's all I have now. I want my child to grow up surround by love and that can only happen here in Charming. If Jax would have killed Clay and left…there was no way Happy would have stayed. I couldn't take that risk."

"Anyone know about the kid?" Marissa shook her head.

"I wanted to figure shit out before I started handing out cigars." Marissa looked around the parking lot that held so many memories for her. "You know nothing is going to be the same after this. There is no way in hell Tara is leaving Jax after all this which will make her the new queen. Now that Jax knows the truth about Clay and JT, you no longer have power."

"I'm not worried about Queen Tara. She will get the automatic respect that goes with the title but she will never take my place. What did you do with the letters that you didn't show Jax?"

"I burned them. The originals and the copies. So there is no evidence about the part you played in JT's death." Marissa turned to look Gemma directly in the eye. "Don't make me regret doing that Gemma. I may have lost my best friend and I'm basically throwing my ass on the line to save yours." Both women jumped when the clubhouse doors opened and Jax walked out looking as if he had aged years in just a few days. He immediately hugged his mother before placing a kiss on Marissa's cheek.

"Where's Tara?"

"She's not my biggest fan right now." Marissa admitted.

"I got some things I have to take care of but…I'm not going anywhere." He directed the end of his sentence to Gemma who breathed a sigh of relief. Jax made his way to the bike as the women watched. Marissa grabbed her keys out of her purse before speaking again.

"We don't have any other option but to survive this because I cannot do this alone." It was as close to a declaration of love that would ever be shared between Gemma and Marissa. Marissa walked to her car, praying that in time, things would be okay.

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><p>The doors being open when the guys were supposed to be in church was the first red flag that Marissa noticed when she made it back to the clubhouse later that night. She had spent most of the day consoling Tig, whose guilt over Clay was both admirable and frustrating. Tig had been so disgusted with himself that he wasn't there to protect Clay and it didn't help that Jax didn't tell the truth. The problems in SMACRO was going to get a hell of a lot worse before they got close to getting better.<p>

Marissa walked closer and could tell just by Gemma's stance in the doorway that something was wrong. Marissa peeked inside and saw Tara with her good arm wrapped around Jax while she stood behind him. The image spoke volumes as Tara stared directly at Gemma as if daring the older woman to say anything. Marissa looked around the room and noticed that Chibs was sitting next to Jax, Opie was missing and the President patch that used to be worn proudly on Clay's chest was now placed on the table in front of Jax.

No words were spoken as Marissa realized the depths of change that was getting ready to bestow upon the new era of SAMCROW. Opie knew the truth about who killed his father and his lack of presence was probably due to the fact that the club had officially taken everything from him. Marissa couldn't help but wonder if he would ever come back.

Tig looked pissed, annoyed and confused all at once. He probably figured that with Clay still alive, why the hell was Jax sitting at the head of the table? Marissa wanted desperately to tell Tig the truth, if for no other reason than to release some of his inner turmoil.

Tara and Gemma continued to stare at one another. Gemma said earlier that she was scared of her position but Tara's stoic face was a bit intimidating and Marissa knew that a pissed off Tara would mean hell for herself and Gemma. It was the ultimate show down between the two women and Marissa still wasn't sure who won.

The somber mood was becoming too emotional for Marissa and she racked her brain to say something, anything that would snap everyone out of it. She sighed deeply and took two steps in the room and everyone in the room stared at her.

"I'm pregnant." Everyone remained quiet except for the two most important people in her life that both stood up at the same time.

"WHAT THE FUCK?"


	32. Chapter 32

_A/N: Here we go: the final chapter of Maintain The Pain. I hope to have the final story up within a few days. It will be called "From Crayons to Cuts". I also have another story in the works and will be posting the first chapter this evening just to get a feel for it. I thank you all for sticking with me._

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><p>Marissa stood in front of the full length mirror and turned sideways. She was a little over four months pregnant and she swore that her bump had grown overnight. One minute she looked fine, the next minute she looked like a beach whale. Her eyes looked up in the mirror and were matched with onyx ones and Marissa couldn't help but smirk.<p>

"You ready to do this?" She asked.

"You sure you don't want Tara to come?" Marissa sighed deeply. The past two months had been hell on everyone. Changes were happening in Charming and no one really knew where they fit in anymore. The one thing that had changed the most was the relationship between Marissa and Tara. Ever since Marissa got rid of those letters, effectively keeping Jax in town, she and Tara had yet to speak to each other. Marissa missed her best friend but she wasn't about to apologize for something when she felt she was in the right.

"Don't start this shit with me please."

"She's the Queen now reina." Happy reminded her. Marissa rolled her eyes.

"Yes I know. I'm not disrespecting her in anyway. Her reign is still intact. I'm cordial when I see her…she's just not a part of my everyday life."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Does it fucking matter Hap?" Marissa was getting very frustrated with this conversation. She glanced at the clock on the dresser. "We gotta go."

An hour later, they were walking out of the courthouse with Tig and Gemma in tow and Marissa was rocking a ring as big as her smile. Ever since Marissa announced she was pregnant, Happy had been leaving hints that the two of them should get married. He said it would be easier if something happened to him, that she would be able to take control if things got too bad with his ma, etc.

One night he had been out for a run and Marissa couldn't get comfortable to sleep. She swore the baby knew Hap was gone and was making it known. When Hap came home and laid his massive, calloused hand on her stomach and the baby stopped kicking, Marissa knew it was a sign that she needed to marry this man once and for all.

The four of them headed back to the clubhouse and once Marissa saw the full parking lot, she knew that Gemma went against her request and there was getting ready to be a massive party. Gemma and Marissa had gotten extremely close over the past few months and Marissa knew Gemma was damn near pulling her hair out knowing that Clay would be getting out of the hospital in a few weeks. That would be the final test for the new SAMCRO. How was Clay going to fit in when he was no longer President? How were they going to explain shit to the other members? How was Jax going to coexist with the man that killed his father?

Happy grabbed Marissa's hand when she walked out of Gemma's car. They were never the kind of couple that was big on PDA but ever since Marissa announced she was pregnant, Happy seemed to hold her a bit tighter. She chalked it up to him being scared of history repeating itself and her losing the baby. Plus if she was honest, she really didn't mind the extra attention.

Marissa smiled at everyone as they cheered and hugs were exchanged around. Her eyes met Tara's in the corner but Marissa just turned away and leaned into Chibs's embrace. The atmosphere was very somber even though they were supposed to be celebrating. Bobby was still in lock-up, shit wasn't right with her and Tara, and there was three new prospects hanging around. It was a different feel and Marissa couldn't help but wonder if it would always be like that.

She laughed at the wedding cake with a Harley topper. She tried to enjoy herself but she was starting to feel a big suffocated so she excused herself to go outside and get some fresh air. Marissa sat down on the picnic bench and took a deep breath. She looked down as her new wedding band caught light from the sun and she couldn't help but smile.

"Everything alright darlin?" Marissa tilted her head as Jax sat down next to her.

"Yeah. I'm just processing everything."

"A lot of changes." Marissa nodded her head. "She misses you. The kids miss you too."

"I miss the boys." Marissa admitted.

"And Tara?"

"You were never the type to get involved in chick shit, Jax. Don't start now."

"I don't know what happened between the two of you. She ain't talking but I will say this. She's lonely, Rissa. She is trying to find her place in this world and she doesn't have anyone in her corner. Ma's not helping her and you and her aren't speaking."

"She made the choice to stay, Jax. She could have still taking that job in Portland but she chose to stay. If she's lonely, it's her own damn fault." Marissa sighed as she rubbed her stomach for comfort. "I love her Jax. She's my sister but shit has changed and I can't ignore that."

"What changed? Those letters? Is this what this is all about?"

"It's about a lot of shit." Marissa stood up and grabbed her purse. "I'm sorry Jax but I am not spending my reception talking about fucking Tara."

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><p>Marissa was absolutely miserable. She was two weeks away from her due date and the California heat was killing her. She was trying like hell to get some paperwork done but the office felt like hell and she could barely concentrate. Marissa looked out the window as Clay was working on his bike by himself. Clay being back was hard for a lot of people. Gemma didn't know how to feel. She still loved the man but after everything that happened, she wasn't so sure what that love meant anymore. Jax seemed to relish in making Clay's life miserable. It was as if Clay was nothing more than Jax's prospect. Tig was in the middle of yet another battle trying to do what was best for the club and how he truly felt about everything going on.<p>

Marissa stood up when she heard the distinct rumbling of a motorcycle pulling up. Most of the guy had headed up to Stockton for a gun run and Marissa wasn't expecting anyone back until nightfall. She watched the man park his bike and she couldn't help but smile as she waddled outside.

"Well I'll be damned." Marissa replied as Opie pulled her in for a tight hug. This was the first time anyone had seen Opie in well over six months. He couldn't handle Jax's betrayal after the loss of his father and he dropped the kids off to Donna's parents and left town. No one had seen or heard from him since.

Opie raised an eyebrow at Marissa's humongous stomach and she couldn't' help but laugh. Opie glanced around the parking lot and stiffened when he saw Clay. Marissa could feel the anger coming off of Opie's body and she didn't know what to do. She was rattling her brain trying to come up with something to get Opie's mind off of seeing Clay when her body decided to come up with the perfect distraction. They both jumped as a flood seemed to release itself from Marissa's body.

"Did my? Am I?" Marissa was stunned as she watched the water gather underneath her. "Holy fuck. I'm in labor." She looked up at Opie with wide eyes filled with fear. He gently grabbed her arm and walked her back inside the office.

"Where are the boys?"

"Stockton."

"Grab your purse and give me your keys." Marissa did what she was told and allowed Opie to take over as he helped her to the car and drove her straight to the hospital.

After damn near eighteen hours of cursing, pain and threats, it was all over. Alexander Piermont Lowman was born and neither Marissa nor Happy's life would ever be the same.


End file.
